Do You Think About Me
by acidonix
Summary: Percy, a NYC playboy, arrives in the small-town of Bridgeport, Virginia to spend the summer with his uber wealthy father. At first, small town life is the opposite of what Percy wants to be doing with his summer before college, but he soon learns not everything is as bad as it seems.
1. Nothing to do Town

**Chapter 1**

**Percy**

**Nothing to do Town**

Percy Jackson was a city boy, through and through. He had been born at Mt. Sinai, finished preschool in an ivy-covered brownstone on Lexington Ave, and had lived on the Upper East Side in a small apartment with his mom ever since he could remember. He honestly never wanted to leave. Until this summer, he had been pretty sure he was going to spend every moment of his life hanging out with friends in Central Park, drinking one too many beers at a party at somebody's expensive penthouse and bringing back girls his mom disapproved of.

Unfortunately, that was not how the summer before college ended up going.

Instead, he was on a plane - which scared him to death, by the way - flying to the middle of nowhere to hang out with his loser dad who had abandoned him when he was a baby. So yeah, not ideal.

At the end of the school year, he had brought this girl home. They were both drunk and very loud coming through the door of his two bedroom apartment. Apparently, they were also very loud later that night. His mom was, to say the least, pissed. She kicked the girl out the door at six AM, and wouldn't talk to Percy for over a week.

"This isn't the first time." She finally said, making him his favorite blue pancakes as a peace offering before school.

"I know, Mom," He said, pouring way too much syrup on the pancakes. "It won't happen again." Sally sighed. They both knew that was a lie, especially with summer coming around.

She started to vigorously scrub the pan she just used. "Percy, I've been thinking." She blew a strand of hair out of her face, wincing like this was hard for her. "I love you. I do." She took a deep breath. Fuck. He thought.

"I called your dad." She finally spit out.

"You didn't." He groaned. His dad was a grade A jerk. He had left when Percy was only three months old, and had called around to say hi and that he wanted to reconnect, gotten his drinking problem under control, blah blah blah. "What good is seeing Poseidon gonna do?"

"That's the thing." She winced again, like she was regretting bringing this up. "I think you should go live with him for the summer."

Percy's jaw dropped. He let out an unbelievable laugh. "You're not serious."

His mom set down the dish she had been washing by hand even though it could have easily gone in the dishwasher. "I am. I think it would be good for you to get away from the city for a little, take a break."

"Poseidon lives… downtown." Percy said, cautiously. "In a penthouse, right? Pretty sure that would be even worse than staying in the same 500 feet with my mom."

His mom finally sat down across from him, pulling her frizzy brown hair back into a ponytail. "I don't mean here. He has a summer house he goes too. It's in Virginia, in a small town."

Percy violently shook his head. "No. I'm not going to Virginia. Why doesn't he go to the Hamptons."

Sally shrugged. "Don't know. He says that Hampton's isn't all that relaxing since he still has to see everybody out there. The house is nice, Percy, it's not like you're going to be roughing it out there."

"You hate me, don't you?" He rolled his eyes.

"Percy-" She started, but he had already slammed the door to his room.

Percy had reluctantly gotten over his mom and her idiocy before he left. In fact, he got a little teary eyed at the airport leaving her, but he hoped she hadn't noticed. He was a mama's boy despite all of his other issues. He hugged his stepdad Paul quickly, before stepping into the security line at JFK.

During takeoff, Percy was pretty sure they were going to die. He was gripping the armrest so tight his fingers were turning blue and the two old ladies next to him were snickering behind hands.

By the time he landed in West Virginia, he was as white as a sheet and about to vomit. He made his way off the plane, rudely pushing people out of the way who were shuffling around in the top bins. He earned a few choice words, but ignored them.

A man in all black was waiting with his luggage and a sign that said JACKSON. Immediately, Percy's heart fell. His own Dad, who he hadn't seen since that day he showed up unannounced at his apartment, couldn't even bothered to pick him up.

"You the chauffeur?" Percy snapped. This guy didn't do anything wrong, but he couldn't help himself. "Must be pretty degrading to be driving around high school students."

The man didn't seem fazed, just kept walking. "I am your father's personal assistant. Come, he is waiting in the car." Percy didn't know what was worse - his dad not coming at all, or being to snobby to get out of the car and greet Percy himself.

A black Cadillac SUV was parked in a permit only spot a few steps away. The man who picked him up opened the back door and Percy climbed in, finding a tanned Poseidon sitting next to him, typing out an email frantically.

As soon as he saw Percy, he broke out in smile. "Percy!" He exclaimed, giving him a half hug that he didn't return. "When your mom told me you were coming to my house this summer, I couldn't believe it. It'll be so good to have you, son."

Percy scooted closer to the window. "Don't call me that."

Poseidon's smile fell for a split second before it returned. "Right, well, no worries. Bridgeport's about an hour drive from here. It's a nice town. Different from New York, obviously, but the house is about ten times bigger. Only a few thousand people though. You should talk to the neighbors, there's a few people around your age you might get along with. The Grace's live the closest, but the Chase's are only a few minutes down the road. Speaking of them, your mom mentioned you getting a job? They have an opening for just a basic farmhand. Could be a good gig, probably minimum wage."

Poseidon was rambling and the irritating noise was getting louder with the second. "Poseidon!" Percy finally snapped. "I'm not getting a job, and I'm not making friends here either. And we don't need to talk just because you screwed my mom once."

Poseidon was quiet the rest of the drive. Percy had never felt worse.

The drive to the house turned from small city to suburbs to willow trees and dirt. Great. Despite Percy's animosity towards the country, he had to admit the south was pretty. As they drove farther out, they rolled the windows down and you could hear the birds in the wind, making as much noise as the traffic in New York.

Before long, they were pulling into a private drive. The gate opened slowly, framed by two tall lanterns burning with real fire. Jesus Christ.

It was another ten minutes before the actual house came into view. They passed the stables and the barn, where staff wandered around, doing various things. Horses were being trained in the corral, and Percy's head followed, watching them.

"We do lessons here during the summer for the kids around here." Poseidon explained. "Also we board horses when people go out of town. It's a good way to make some extra money while we're out here."

"Can't I just get a job here?" Percy asked.

Poseidon shook his head. "It'll be good for you to get out of the house for a little. A summer just with me and the staff is definitely not what you want."

"This whole thing isn't what I want." He grumbled.

Poseidon ignored him. "I already set up an interview with Fred on the way over here. Of course, he'll hire you. His wife and I are old friends."

Percy didn't respond and became too preoccupied at the house that stood in front of him. It wasn't even a house. It resembled a castle more than anything else. Three stories high with a driveway lined with those mini hedges rich people liked. A man - the butler, maybe, but Percy didn't know if people used that language anymore - stood at the front door, awaiting their arrival. It was a white brick, with a dark, wooden door. It looked like something out of those romance movies his mom liked.

"Mr. Jackson." The butler said in a deep, gravely voice. "How was the drive?"

"Beautiful, as always." Poseidon responded. Before Percy could protest, people were already taking his bags. Maybe he could get used to this life after all.

"I'm sure you're tired from the flight," Poseidon said, heading towards what Percy assumed was his office. "Go upstairs and rest, I'll call you for dinner." It wasn't an option, it was a request. Percy reluctantly headed up to his room.

Poseidon must have talked to Sally before decorating. The room was beach themed, and about three times as big as Percy's whole apartment. The walls were a light blue, with cotton white sheets and dark blue accents. There were two pictures on the nightstand, one with Percy and his mom and the other of Percy and his two best friends, Leo and Grover. Yep, Poseidon had definitely talked to his mom.

—

There was something oddly calming about waking up here. It couldn't have been earlier than 9 or 10, but it was still dead silent outside even though his window was wide open. The loudest sound was the chirp of birds and the wind brushing through the willow tree right outside his window.

He rolled out of bed with a groan, and stumbled into his personal bathroom in nothing but boxers. After brushing his teeth and putting on some jeans and a fresh pair of underwear, he headed downstairs for breakfast.

Poseidon was already seated at the huge table meant for sixteen, the paper flipped open to the business page. He raised an eyebrow at Percy when he saw him. "We're going to have to go shopping."

Percy reached for a croissant while the server poured him coffee. "What? Why?"

"You can hardly mow a lawn in this season's Adidas." Poseidon said, not looking up from the paper. "The interview's at noon. You can take the truck. It's yours for the summer."

"I don't want it." Percy said with his mouth full.

Poseidon looked up at that. "You will." He said shortly, then pushed back his chair and headed back to his office.

Percy finished up breakfast alone. There was something extremely lonely about this place, despite the multiple people running around fixing lamp shades and dusting off porcelain. He didn't know how Poseidon lived here all on his own.

An hour later, his dad was knocking on his door. "Percy. Time to go. I'll walk you out to the garage, show you the car and everything."

"Didn't I say I wasn't getting a job?" Percy asked slipping past Poseidon and heading down the stairs. He was really just being difficult. This summer was about to be extremely boring if he didn't find something to occupy his time.

Poseidon led him down a path to the left of the house, where there was a house for all of his cars, not a garage. He had probably ten, but Percy didn't count. All were luxury, except for the truck - of course.

"So I'm not getting the Rolls?" Percy joked.

Poseidon gave him a smile. "We'll see. You might be able to take it a few times this summer."

Besides a Rolls Royce, there were two Audi's, a Mustang, two Cadillacs, and a Bentley. One of these cars could pay the rent on his apartment forever. It was kind of disgusting.

"The Audi's are Amphitrite's." He mentioned. "So don't touch those."

"Amphitrite?" Percy asked.

"My… wife?" Poseidon looked confused. "Sally didn't tell you?"

"No." Percy shook his head. "I didn't know you were married."

"Oh, sorry. I thought you knew. She's in Martha's Vineyard this week with some friends. She'll be back a couple days from now, Friday I think."

Percy was kind of wondering why he didn't know that, but he didn't have long to dwell. His dad tossed him the keys to the monstrous Ford. "The address to their house is already saved as a favorite. Don't crash it," He said, turning to walk back out of the garage. "And behave!"

Turns out, Percy was not a good driver. His dad had been right to worry. He had thought his spare lessons with Paul in South Hampton would suffice, but driving on these roads was a whole other ball game. They turned and twisted, and his stomach lurched as he winded throughout. They were constantly switching between paved to dirt to gravel to dust to paved and he couldn't keep up. The fifteen minutes it supposedly took to arrive at the Chase's seemed like hours.

His dad had described the Chase's house as right next door, but to Percy that usually meant ten feet. The Chase's were at least ten miles down the road, if not more. But, he guessed that next door really just meant there was no property in between them. Instead, the two were split with a pretty white picket fence, horses wandering the fields on either side.

Frederick's house was much more modest than his father's, but still way more than Percy and his mom could ever afford. It was a tan, with stone built in pillars on the entrance. A fountain ran through the front walkway, and Percy stepped carefully over purposefully placed rocks.

"Sir." A man opened the door for him, eyeing Percy warily.

"Hi." Percy said, then tried again louder realizing his voice was barely a whisper. "Hi. I'm Percy Jackson. My dad, Poseidon, said I had an interview for a job today?"

The man looked as if he was resisting an eye roll. "Oh, yes. Poseidon's kid. Right this way, kiddo."

Percy didn't like that, but he followed him anyway.

"Mr. Chase." The man said, knocking slightly before entering through a modern barn door that led to a spare office. "Jackson kid to see you."

"Thank you, Watts." The man at the desk said. He was attractive, for an older man. Sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and a soft fold in his body, like he wasn't as serious as the house really made him look.

"Percy Jackson." Frederick said, greeting him with a warm smile after finally looking up from papers. "You came at the perfect time. Just finished grading those summer papers. You know, things could be worse for you. You could be in summer school." He said, laughing to himself. Percy stayed silent. He didn't know what to say. "Sit down, sit down. Frederick Chase. Pleased to meet you." He stuck out a sweaty hand as Percy settled into the leather armchair across from him.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Percy said, extremely polite.

Frederick shook his head. "Oh, none of that. Your family and ours are old friends. Fred will do just fine. Now, your dad wanted me to look into a farmhand job for you? I have a staff manager, but I thought I could do this interview in person. I had no idea Poseidon had a son!"

This guy talked too much. Percy laughed uncomfortably. "Uh, yeah, neither did I until last winter." Percy winced internally. What a dumb thing to say.

Frederick - or Fred, whatever - just looked confused before shaking it off. "Well, we'll of course hire you. We would love to have you, you'll get along great with some of our other staff I'm sure. It's a pretty easy job, as long as you can - " He was interrupted by a knock on the door, then a young girl spoke behind Percy.

"Didn't realize you had company." The girl said, and Percy turned to face her. She was the same girl from the horse, and she was even more breathtaking than he had realized. Her eyes were a startling gray, even though she seemed to be paying no attention to Percy. Her glare was directed at her dad, though Percy couldn't figure out why. She was wearing riding clothes, tight tan pants, brown cowgirl boots and and a cotton white long sleeve. Somehow, she totally pulled the whole thing off.

"I always have time for you, sweetheart. What's up?" Fred asked, clearly jumping at this girl's every need. He was beginning to realize they might not be the best of friends. Or maybe, it was just one of those phases every teenage girl goes through. Rachel had been horrible. So snappy, it had become slightly impossible to even be friends, let alone anything more.

The girl rolled her eyes. "I'll just ask Jaqueline to pack lunch for me and Luke. We're going to go for a picnic, if that's all right."

"Of course. Just remember, we have that dinner with the Grace's tonight." The girl rolled her eyes, turning on her heel to walk out. Percy forced himself to look up, not about to get distracted by the tight pants. "And Luke can't come!" Fred called out, but the doors were already closed.

Frederick sighed. "Girls are… another breed. No matter what I do, I can't make her happy."

Percy chuckled. He could relate to this. "Trust me. My ex, she was a piece of work."

Fred gave him a wry smile. "Aren't they all," He said, before sliding a work contract and a black pen in front of him.

**Hey. So, this is my new story, obviously. If you're coming from The Nanny, welcome back. If you're new, welcome! I wrote The Nanny when I was so excited to be moving to NYC, and I started writing this when I realized how much I missed my hometown (obviously, I don't have this kind of glamour or drama, that's the fun of fiction). I was going to post this on like a Sunday or something, but I couldn't wait. Next update will probably be Sunday or so though - sometime over the weekend. **

**The chapter titles are real songs, including the title of the story. If you guys want the whole playlist, just PM me! **

**As always, let me know what you think. This story is not anywhere near done, and I'm kind of just writing as I go so I would love (positive) suggestions. Review, favorite, follow! See y'all Sunday 3**

**-A**


	2. Livin Easy

Chapter 2

Percy

Percy had not made the connection between his cousins the Grace's and the Grace family Fred had reminded his daughter of during his interview. As soon as he had gotten home from the interview, prepared to start bright and early the next day, a pair of khakis and a white button down was shoved into his face.

Around 6, his dad, Amphitrite (who had surprised them all with an early return - yippee), and Percy were loaded into one of their SUV's. The driver pulled out of their driveway and turned left, heading the opposite way of the Chase's home. Five minutes later, after countless trees and acres of land, they pulled into a driveway of a house much larger than Poseidon's and about ten times more extravagant. Cars were pulling up in the driveway, attendants opening doors, a large fountain trickling in the background. Well dressed people entered the house, women on men's arms, children in party dresses wandering in behind them perfectly behaved.

"Welcome to your first Southern party." Poseidon said with a grin, before taking Amphitrite's arm and heading into the house.

Percy wasn't sure where to start with describing the inside of this house. It was like every other rich adult party you could think of, like those ones in the Hamptons, but on steroids. People floated throughout the foyer, mingling and laughing as if they had all been friends for ages. The ceilings were white and gold, waiters passed out free champagne and Percy felt utterly out of place.

"Percy!" A girl's voice yelled, startling Percy from staring up in awe at the ceiling. A blur of black hair and clothes knocked into him, tackling him in a hug. "I haven't seen you since you were like a little kid!" She exclaimed, pulling away.

Percy chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Thalia, we're the same age. But nice to see you too." Thalia and her brother Jason were the only family Percy had known on his dad's side before a few months ago. When his dad left, his mom had stayed in contact with Zeus and Aunt May, and Percy had grown up with them until they moved to LA when he was seven.

Jason came over, dressed in similar clothes to Percy, and gave him a hug. "Good to see you, bro."

Before Percy could respond, Thalia was talking again. "So, what do you say we ditch this thing?"

Another girl came up behind her, typing on her phone before slipping it into a clutch, the same girl who had interrupted his interview this afternoon. "Thals, we haven't even been here ten seconds. My dad will kill me." Her phone must have buzzed again, because she pulled it out and started texting again.

"Anyways, we're leaving. Annabeth, this is Percy, Percy, Annabeth." Thalia said, making quick introductions.

"We already met." She said shortly. Did he do something to this girl?

Thalia just rolled her eyes though. "Text the group. Tell them to meet us at the bonfire. She said to Jason. "Annabeth, you coming?"

"Give me two seconds." She said, sending her friend an apologetic smile. "Just need to go let Luke know where I'm going."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "He's not your owner!" She yelled after the blonde before shaking her head.

"Luke?" Percy questioned.

"Her boyfriend." Jason said. "Annabeth thinks the world revolves around him." The grimace in Jason's voice told Percy the siblings thought otherwise.

Annabeth came running back through the crowd, the forest green dress she was wearing shifting by her knees. Percy noticed she wasn't wearing any makeup, which was odd considering the party.

"Where are we going?" Percy asked Jason as the girls ran ahead of them, giggling as they fumbled with a pair of keys.

Jason shrugged. "Wherever they built the fire. We usually can see it from the road, Leo said it wasn't too far."

"Woah." Percy said, slowing down and thinking twice about getting in the car. "I'm not into all this hick stuff."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "Hick stuff? Who do you think you are?"  
"I'm from New York City." Percy said, realizing immediately how douchey that sounded.

Annabeth gave a short laugh while Thalia called shotgun. "Why are we bringing him again?" She asked turning to look at Jason and Thalia.

Thalia shrugged. "Unfortunately, he's blood. Get in the bed, you two."

"What bed?" Percy said, idiotically and Annabeth practically fell to the ground laughing.

"Follow me, city boy." She said, still giggling and climbed into the bed of the truck. Percy turned bright red in embarrassment, and followed Annabeth into the bed reluctantly.

Jason started up the truck, and it made a groaning sound before he stepped on the gas. The back was lined with a soft blanket and a few pillows and places to sit, but Annabeth had other plans.

"I have to change." She announced. "Look away or close your eyes or something."

"What?" Percy stared at her, eyes wide. "You can't just -"

"Change in the middle of the road?" She stared at him like he was an idiot. "Do you see anybody else around here?"

"Uh, no." Percy said intelligently, but he obeyed and turned his body away from hers. "What would your boyfriend think of this display?" He asked in a mocking tone.

He imagined the blonde rolling her eyes. "Shut up." She said. "He wouldn't - ah!" She yelped as they hit a bump and her hand landed hard on Percy's shoulder as she fell down.

He resisted a laugh. "Decent?"

"Yes." Her voice was small and she was blushing when he turned around. Her green dress was laying in a pile by their feet and in its place were denim cut offs and a USC college sweatshirt. Percy decided he liked this Annabeth much better.

Jason, who Percy realized was driving stick up there (who did that anymore), turned down a remote, gravel road and Percy could hear yelling and music down there. A huge flame appeared in the distance and Thalia grinned.

"This is where the real fun is." She said, looking pointedly at Percy. Percy wasn't so sure, but he followed them out of the car.

A huge bonfire was going, and with the noise they had heard from the road, you would have thought a hundred people were there. In reality, it was a pretty small party, and clearly everybody was best friends. There were only about ten people crowded around the bonfire, drinking beer and singing along to the country music playing from a bluetooth stereo.

Percy realized with a start that he knew nobody. He was not about to be the person who followed the one person they knew like a lost puppy, but he didn't have too much to worry about. When they pulled up, everybody cheered and passed out beers, treating him like he was their best friend.

Annabeth immediately caught the eye of a blonde guy with sharp blue eyes. "Luke!" She called out, leaving her purse in the truck. The two of them ran off together, probably to go makeout.

Thalia rolled her eyes.

"What?" Percy asked. "Why don't you like him?"

Thalia shook her head. "Tell you later. Leo!" She yelled, calling him over. A small hispanic kid came running over, beer spilling from a red solo cup.

"Yo!" He said, his voice high pitched for a sixteen year old. "Who's the newbie?" He asked. Percy took a drink of liquid courage, then stuck out his hand. Leo took that as an invitation to give him a one armed hug, and Percy blushed, chalking it up to being drunk. City people were never this touchy, drunk or not.

"My cousin. He's staying with Poseidon for the summer." Thalia said, her eyes shifting through the people, looking for somebody. "I thought you guys would be good friends since you're both idiots."

Percy was offended, but Leo just laughed. "Come on, city boy. I'll introduce you to some more people." Leo said, clapping him on the back.

Percy frowned. "How do you know I'm from the city?"

Leo laughed again. "Dude. You've got that douche look. All city guys have it. Plus, you're wearing shoes with no spots of mud on them. That, my friend, does not happen here."

Percy glanced down, suddenly insecure about his blinding white shoes, which was dumb. He didn't care what these people thought. They were weirdos, and besides, he was only going to be here for a few months.

Leo introduced him to all of the others. A burly Asian man named Frank, his pretty girlfriend Hazel, and Piper, who apparently Jason was major crushing on. Frank and Hazel were fairly shy, sitting on a log by the fire with a wool blanket over them. Piper, on the other hand, was the life of the party. She had dragged Annabeth over who was done making out with Luke - Percy knew this for sure now because her lips were bruised and her hair had leaves in it - and the two of them were singing and dancing to the radio, probably a little too drunk. Percy had always despised country music, but out here in the trees and the bonfire and the smoky air and the stench of beer, Percy didn't think it was as bad.

After a couple beers, Percy had loosened up. It didn't take long for him to figure out that most of these people lived here year round, unlike his dad. Percy tried to imagine what that would be like. Coming home from school and having to work a farm, never having days off, the beating sun and relentless winters. He shivered. No thanks. He had also realized that not all these people were wealthy like his dad and neighbors. Just across town was a drastically different area, where people were normal and acted more normal. They didn't have mansions or pools and they had to get jobs and help with chores. It made him feel a little more hopeful for the summer because he wasn't sure if he could deal with a bunch more stuck up Annabeth's for three months. After a long conversation about nothing with Frank, he stood up to go take a leak. Frank said he could go back in the woods, so Percy headed a little farther out. He was about to unzip when he heard a snap of sticks in the woods.

Percy whipped his head to the sound and found Annabeth with a small smile on her face.

"Sorry." She didn't sound very apologetic. "I had to stop you before you exposed yourself."

Percy blushed. "You could have said something. I thought there was like a bear or something out here."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous." She turned back around, her eyes on a glittering lake that Percy hadn't noticed before.

"It's beautiful out here." He said quietly, sitting down next to her. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't complain.

"I thought you hated it." She quipped, skipping a rock perfectly.

Percy shrugged. "It's not as bad as I thought."

She was quiet for a minute, finding the next perfect rock to skip across the water.

"Where's Luke?" Percy asked.

Annabeth sighed, like she didn't want to talk about it. A minute passed, and she spoke again. "He went home. Something about curfew. Bullshit." She said.

Percy watched the reflection of the moon in the water. "I thought you liked him?"

She glanced at him. "I do. I just… I don't know. I might have done something I regret tonight."

Percy frowned. "But - what?"  
Annabeth sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. Did you get the job?" She asked, changing the subject.

"What job?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes again. She did that a lot, Percy noticed, or maybe he was dumber than he thought. "The job. For my dad. Jeez, do they teach you anything in New York City?"

Percy scoffed. "Hey, at least I don't roll around in mud for fun." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them.

Annabeth's eyes turned cold. "And just when I thought you might not be a dick." She stood up suddenly, dusted off her legs and went back to join her friends.

Percy stared back at the lake, its reflection now harsher and more uninviting. Percy picked up a rock, trying to copy Annabeth's movements but the rock just sunk.

On the way home, Percy asked where Annabeth was.

Thalia glared at him. "She got a ride home with Piper." She said shortly, and his cousins didn't say a word to him when they dropped him off.

Percy was already in a bad mood, so when he got home at 2 AM, stinking with beer and sweat, his dad was waiting up on the couch, sipping some expensive whiskey like they did in the movies.

"Percy." Poseidon said. "Where were you?"

Percy groaned and ignored him, heading up the stairs. "Out."

"Percy. You were supposed to be with us. At the Grace's. They're gracious enough to put on this dinner party every year. You can't just leave without letting us know."

Percy didn't mean to yell, but he was too tired and angry at himself and just over this whole thing. "Yes, I _can. _You're not my dad, you're some random guy my mom shipped me off too. So don't talk to me like you're my parent because you're not. You're a guy who can't keep his dick in his pants."

Poseidon looked at him in shock, but Percy had already locked his bedroom door before Poseidon could follow him.

**So, I'm back. I promised another chapter on Sunday, but then I got super busy. Yesterday was my last day at my summer job :(, and I'm back to college on Monday. I really wasn't sure I was going to update this again because I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I got a ton of follows and favorites so thank you guys so much! Those are the things that make me want to update, honestly. Hope you all liked this chapter. Also, let me know if you want Annabeth's POV in this story, or just Percy's!**

**Love y'all.**

**-a**


	3. Town Ain't Big Enough

Chapter 3

Annabeth

Annabeth woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe it was the hangover she had from one too many beers last night, or the fact that she completely regretted everything that had happened with Luke. She had thought she was ready. She had worn her cutest bra and underwear, the only ones that weren't purely for comfort. But then they had done it, on a pile of muddy leaves and she had gotten dirt in places she didn't want dirt, and she totally and completely regretted it.

And then Percy had said that thing about rolling around in mud and she knew he didn't know, he couldn't have meant it so literally but it still hurt.

She rolled over, checking her phone for the first time that morning. 7 missed calls from Luke, 2 from Piper, a text from Piper saying headaches suck :( and about thirty texts from Luke, all saying he missed her, they should do it again, can they talk.

Annabeth threw her phone across the room and went back to sleep.

The second time she woke up, her mom was pounding on her door. "Annabeth!" Athena called out. "Are you awake? You're missing your riding lesson!"

Annabeth shot up. Shit. "Yeah, I'm awake." Annabeth called back. Her mom took that to mean she should come in.

Athena sighed when she saw the mess that was Annabeth. "Why aren't you in your riding clothes?" She sounded tired, like she was wishing Annabeth was a senior like Luke, leaving for college in the fall so she wouldn't have to deal with her anymore.

Annabeth rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Can I skip my lesson? I'll ride on my own, promise."

"Fine." Her mom said, rolling her eyes. "You need to go for at least an hour, though, to make up for the lesson with Lilliane."

Annabeth nodded. The more she agreed the more likely it was that Athena would leave her alone. Athena took one last glance around the messy room before she exited, mumbling something about teenagers before shutting the door.

Annabeth rolled out of bed, putting on some slippers to walk to the bathroom in. The shower felt nice, and she let the steam rise instead of turning on the fan. Within twenty minutes she was ready to go, tan breeches and a vest on since it was slightly cooler today.

She was peeling a banana, hastily stuffing it down her mouth for a makeshift breakfast as she ran out of the house when she saw him. He was laughing with another farmhand, Scott maybe, and they were hanging up spare saddles after a lesson. His green eyes were brighter in the day light, rather than the dark ocean she saw last night. She watched as he lifted up a plain white tee, and wiped his upper lip clean of sweat. His abs flashed her, and Jesus she should look away but she couldn't. The v of his hips was clearly present and her body temperature was rising despite the slight chill today.

"Annabeth!" Percy called out, catching her eye. Annabeth looked down, completely embarassed. Did he see her? She was sure she was as red as a tomato right now. "Annabeth." He said, breathless this time and she realized he was running towards her.

"What?" She snapped, pushing past him. Gods, why was she so rude to this guy?

"Wait up!" He said, undeterred, and followed her into the stables. "I wanted to say -"

"Save it." Annabeth held up a hand. "Look, just because you ended up being the person to find me down by that lake last night does not mean we're like friends and you have to apologize for all of the rude things you say now." She took down the saddle, brushing out her horse Lily. Annabeth and her parents had bought Lily when she was only twelve, and she had trained the mare pretty much all on her own. Lily was her pride and joy, and favorite thing on this ranch.

"I'm not trying to apologize." He said, his eyes narrowing at her. Great, he was mad now. Wasn't that what she wanted, though? The more distance she put between herself and this boy, the better for her and her relationship.

He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead watched her saddle up her horse. "Look," He said, sighing. She didn't turn to face him. "I'm gonna be working here the whole summer. We might as well get along if we're going to see each other everyday."

Annabeth mounted Lily, nudging her into a walk. "I don't hang out with the staff." She said, tying her hair up and moving into a canter, leaving Percy quite literally in the dust.

There was something so therapeutic to her about riding. The wind in her hair, the feeling of her horse beneath her, the way the tall grass swayed in the breeze she created as she passed by. She didn't know where she was going, but she veered off the trail into an open field, cutting through and ending up on a different trail on the property.

She didn't really know why her mom made her take lessons still. Maybe because her jumping still needed work, and she was slightly unbalanced in a gallop, but she never participated in competitions or anything. She just liked to ride for fun, and lessons were anything but fun.

By the time she got back to the house, Percy's shift was over and Piper was already texting her about tonight's party.

8 PM at Simpson Creek? She asked

thought you were hungover. Annabeth responded, brushing out Lily before she let the farmhand take over cleaning the stall.

over it. Ready to party again.

Annabeth sent a rolling eyes emoji, followed by pick me up?

always.

—

Three hours later, she was sitting shotgun in Piper's Honda sedan, with Percy, Jason and Thalia in the backseat. She was getting a little tired of always having Percy there, but she understood why Jason and Thalia felt like they needed to include him. She would want her own cousins to do that for her. Luke was driving himself and some football friends, and their truck was right behind them blasting the same radio and country song they were. Her feet, clad in brown cowgirl boots, were swung out the window and the summer breeze whipped them as they drove down the windy road.

Bridgeport was a weird town. There were people like her, and Thalia and Jason who had more money than they knew what to do with. And then there were people like Piper and Luke, who worked their farm with their family, lived off the land, sold their fresh vegetables to markets. And somehow, maybe because there was only one high school, they all mixed.

Her black tube top and denim cut offs were tight on her, and slightly uncomfortable sitting down. She had worn a lace bralette under the top so she could still swim. One thing she didn't think anybody in Bridgeport owned was a swimsuit.

By the time they got there, the party was in full swing. They were there later than they thought, around 8:30, and everybody was already drunk. Hazel was there with Frank, and she ran up to give Piper and Annabeth's hugs. Luke was trying to pull Annabeth away, to talk or not talk she didn't know, but she tugged her arm out of his grasp sending him a not now look.

"What are you gonna do?" Hazel asked. She and Piper were the only two that knew what had happened. Annabeth wanted to tell Thalia, but she wasn't sure how she would react. Most likely scenario is that she would kill Luke.

Annabeth shrugged and accepted the beer some random guy passed her. She just wanted to get drunk and forget about the fact that she had done it with some guy that she didn't even love.

Annabeth wanted to throw up. She was laying there, half naked and Luke had interlaced his fingers with hers.

"I love you." He whispered, so soft and her heart ached. Because he really meant it. He loved her. He wanted to spend forever with her.

She couldn't bring herself to say it back. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. So she just gripped his hand tighter, and laid there, silent.

"Let's dance." Annabeth said instead, grabbing her best friends hands. They went over by the fire, laughing and dancing to the country music in the background. Two beers in, and Annabeth, a complete lightweight was totally buzzed. She and Piper and Hazel and Thalia jumped and

giggled and almost fell into the fire a few times and drank more beer and danced some more and she felt more happy than she had in a long time.

It wasn't long before she realized why. This was the first time in a long time that she wasn't tied to Luke's hip at a party. Without him over her shoulder, commenting on how she was having too many beers, or getting annoyed when she paid attention to a guy other than him.

She was four beers in when she noticed the green eyes on her. He was standing across her, on the other side of the bonfire. She and her friends had calmed down and were now giggling softly on a log, a wool Pendleton blanket wrapped around them. Percy's eyes were intense, the fire bouncing in the green, making them seem dark and harsh.

He could have been staring at any of them, actually. It was hard to tell with the fire in between.

She hoped it was her.

Was that wrong?

She had always liked attention. That feeling when all the boys in her junior class were staring at her at Sean's birthday while she and Piper were showing everybody the dance they had made up. Or when they would go swimming at Simpson's, and she could feel all their eyes on her. It made her feel powerful.

But when she got all this attention, she had always known she was with Luke. These boys were fun, but she had been with Luke for two years at this point. She liked the attention not because she cared if they found her attractive or cute or beautiful, but because it boosted her own self confidence.

With Percy's eyes though, she found herself wondering what he thought of her. Was she too loud? Was she too giggly? Was he annoyed with her still from this afternoon?

She shook these thoughts from her head. She had never been like this before. She was Annabeth Chase. She didn't care what people thought of her. Her hair was barely brushed, her clothes usually a tee and cutoffs. Before she could think further, she felt a calloused hand on her shoulder.

"Can we talk?" Luke's voice asked behind her. She turned, and he had a mischievous smile on his face. Probably thought he was going to get laid again tonight.

Piper squeezed her hand and Annabeth forced a smile. "Sure." She said, getting up to follow him. She shivered, and Luke noticed. He immediately took off his sweatshirt and offered it to her. She thought about refusing, but shivered again and took it from him. It was another USC sweatshirt,

just one more reminder that Luke was going to college after this summer and she still had her senior year left.

"You're avoiding my calls." He murmured. They had walked a few feet, where the trees broke and a creek appeared. Kids swam in the murky waters, screeching and laughing, but she and Luke stayed just out of earshot.

"No." She protested, sitting down on the hard ground. It was a cooler start to the summer than normal, but there hadn't been much rain. "I just…" She paused, running a hand through her sweaty, tangled hair. "I'm busy."

Luke raised an eyebrow, facing her. She avoided his eyes. She had always liked how harsh they were, the dark blue only softening for her. Now, they just looked fake - almost like he was wearing contacts. "I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were."

"Will you look at me?" He snapped. She did. She regretted it.

"What do you want me to say?" She asked, feeling close to tears.

Luke threw up his hands. "I don't know, Annabeth. Last night, that was the best night of my life. And you're looking at me like I'm making you vomit in your mouth right now."

She drew her gaze away, staring down at her hands. "It was a lot, Luke. It wasn't your first time." She said, each word getting quieter.

"Were you not ready?" He asked, softer now. She didn't respond, and he took it as a sign to grab one of her hands, pulling her against his chest. She didn't resist, but Annabeth would have rather been anywhere else. She felt dirty.

"I-" She started to say, but she couldn't finish the sentence before she started crying. Gods, this was so stupid. Why was she crying? She was pretty sure she wasn't even crying about sex or her first time or virginity or any of that bullshit. She was crying because she didn't love Luke.

Woah.

Her thought made her cry more, which just made Luke hug her tighter.

"It's okay." He kept murmuring, pressing soft kisses into her hair. She felt sick.

When she finally calmed down, he had tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling gently on the ends, just the way she liked it. "You said you were ready, babe."

It was all she could do to not cry again. Or vomit. Babe. The pet name alone was enough to make bile rise in her throat.

"Annabeth!" Leo said, loudly. She sat upright, turning to see Leo, Percy and Frank walking out of the woods. "Ooooh, sorry." Leo said, blushing. "We'll just be on our way." He said.

Annabeth laughed, wiping at her cheeks. "No, wait. You going swimming?" She asked.

Frank nodded. Luke stood up, pulling her with him and dusting off his faded jeans.

"I'll join you." She decided. "Gimme a sec." The boys obliged, walking off towards the water.

Luke wiped a stray tear off her cheek. "I gotta go home. I have an early day tomorrow."

"Okay." She whispered. He leaned down, and kissed her softly.

"I love you." He said. All she could offer was a smile, and he turned to walk back to his truck. Annabeth stood there, wringing her hands. The longer she stood, the angrier she got. Who did he think he was? He basically spoke for her, never asked her what was actually wrong. Was he trying to say it was her fault, with that last sentence? Gods, maybe Thalia was right, But how could Annabeth be so wrong? She had dated the guy for two years this September. She had been sure she was in love, that they could make it through anything. They had even talked about where they were going after college, where they wanted to make a family, how many kids they wanted.

He didn't listen to her. He didn't make her feel loved. In fact, she had felt like such a used toy after their first time that she had taken an hour long shower afterwards and still felt like she was disgusting.

"Beer?" Piper asked, coming up behind her.

Annabeth laughed, smiling gratefully at her friend and shaking any thought of Luke from her brain. "Swimming?" Annabeth asked in return, and Piper grinned, grabbing her hand and running towards the water.

They stripped down as they went, cutoffs and tiny tank tops flying in the wind. This time, she was hoping he was staring.

With a squeal, she and Piper jumped in the water holding hands. They spent the next hour with their closest friends, splashing each other and swinging off the rope.

Thalia splashed her, a huge blast of water sending Annabeth tumbling back. She lost her footing on a slippery rock and fell fast, preparing to hit the water. Instead, she slammed into a hard chest. She blushed, preparing to turn around and see a red faced Jason or Leo, making a snide comment

about taking her home. Instead, she came within inches of Percy's face. His lips were slightly parted, breathing hard and his arms had snaked around her bare waist when she had fallen.

"Sorry." He said quietly, untangling himself from her.

"Uh," She said, intelligently. "Thanks." It sounded more like a question and she wasn't sure where to go from now. He smelled good, salty and clean, with that slight sheen of sweat that all country boys had. Luckily, she didn't have time to do anything stupid because Piper attacked her and they were back to laughing and having fun.


	4. Small Town Girl

**Chapter 4**

It had been a week since that day in Simpson Creek, and Percy had finally gotten the feeling of Annabeth's bare skin on his out of his head for the first night since it happened. It wasn't ideal, showing up to work at her family home with those unholy thoughts running through his head, but he was a hormonal teenager who really couldn't control himself no matter how much he wished he could. It was even more awkward, however to run into Annabeth. Who, by the way, was still avoiding him like the plague. He didn't know what he had done to deserve the icy cold glare she reserved just for him, but he didn't dwell on it too much. Not everybody was going to like you. He had learned that lesson pretty fast in order to survive in NYC.

Today was fortunately the weekend, and Percy was looking forward to sleeping in, watching some Netflix and taking a day for himself. He had never considered himself an introvert, since you really couldn't be in New York. Here, though, he hadn't had a second alone. In New York, you were surrounded constantly by people - people you didn't know, had zero interaction with and never had to socialize with unless you wanted to. In Bridgeport, everybody was friends with everybody and everywhere Percy went was a constant social affair. Today, he was relaxing.

Just as he was settling back in after a full breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon (the perfect way to start a weekend if you asked him), his phone started ringing.

"Thalia." He answered, clicking pause on his show before finding her eyes. "What's up?"

"We're all going to the club at noon." She clipped, setting him down so he could stare at the ceiling. She had luckily gotten over the little fight they had at the end of the party. When Percy had brought it up to her, she had said "Not my shit." and had never brought it up again. Still, Percy felt like he was walking on eggshells around Thalia and Annabeth. You never could tell when girls were going to be in a good mood or not.

"The club?" He adjusted the pillow, sitting slightly higher up in bed. When he heard club, all he thought was bodies and sweat and bad dj's and loud music.

"The country club?" She asked, bringing the phone back to her to give him a _you're dumb _look before he went back to staring at the ceiling. "Annabeth, Jason and I. You're family has a membership too."

Another thing that had become clear to Percy about Bridgeport. The poor and the rich went to the same high school, but there was a definite difference. Certain events only the rich went too. Certain parties that only the poor attended. Places only Annabeth and his cousins went, without their other friends; the country club, the stables with the picket white fence and cider waiting for you after a ride on Rayne Drive, the lake that was on their side of town. No matter what they liked to say, the curtain was still there. Percy just happened to be on the right side of it for once in his life.

Percy had apparently taken too long to respond because he was back at eye level with Thalia. "What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "You have better plans today?"

Percy rolled his eyes, shifting onto his side and propping up onto an elbow. "Yeah. My bed."

Thalia sighed, swiping on some chapstick. "So, that's a no."

Percy shrugged. "I'm fine, really. Besides," He paused before he couldn't stop himself from saying the next part. "I don't think Annabeth really wants to hang out with me anyways."

"Cut her a break." Thalia said, just as Jason walked in the room with purple swim trunks on and a t-shirt that said Bridgeport Football on it. "She's had a rough couple of weeks, and you're not making it any easier on her."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Percy asked, wrinkling his brow but Jason had already interrupted him.

"You coming to the club today?" He asked Percy, taking the phone from Thalia.

Percy groaned. "Unfortunately. See y'all at twelve." He hung up before he could dwell on that fact that he had just said y'all after two weeks here. Disgusting.

Percy was right. Annabeth was highly uncomfortable with him going.

"You lied." She said, turning on her black haired friend.

Thalia shrugged. "No. Just avoided the truth. Would you have come if you knew he was gonna be here?"

Annabeth sat back against the tan leather of the Mercedes and crossed her arms, avoiding an answer. With her blue polka dot bikini popping out under a sheer white coverup and the straw sun hat covering half her face, she looked like she had walked out of Vogue's latest summer edition. He would be lying if he said she didn't look like a million bucks. The sun glinted off her blonde curls, and her laugh although not ever directed at him, was irritatingly contagious. It was a new Annabeth, one he had never seen before. In fact, it was a new look for all four of them. In the past couple weeks, all they had done was party out in the woods, or try to teach Percy how to ride a horse, or run around the Grace's house causing trouble until Zeus sent them packing. Today, though, the four of them were dressed up. The girls in thousand dollar swimsuits and hats, the boys in khakis and loafers. Poseidon had stayed true to his word and had bought Percy a whole new wardrobe that he hadn't known how to wear until Jason showed him.

No matter how many clothes Poseidon bought him, or the cars they drove, nothing could have prepared Percy for the country club. There was a guard at the front gate, who immediately recognized Jason and let him through. They drove down a winding road, the farm land turning into trimmed green grass and a wall of hedges to separate the run down barns from the fancy cars and people. A few feet later, they arrived at a Waynesboro Country Club. About a forty-five minute drive from their small town, and the wealth was even more prominent here. The all white building glittered in the hot summer sun. Men and women were chatting in the front while their clubs were loaded into their Bentley's. A group of kids giggled as they ran into the parking lot, followed by a tired looking nanny who was pleading with them to slow down.

"Leo!" Jason exclaimed, tossing their friend the keys. "Take care of my baby."

"Always." Leo said with a smirk. "So," He said, directing his voice towards the car. "Where are we going today?"

"You better not." Thalia said, sending Leo a playful warning sign before waving to the front desk.

"Leo…" Percy trailed off, trying not to stare at the two ladies with their martinis walking by them as they headed deeper into the club.

"Works here?" Thalia finished for him, grabbing them some towels. "Yeah. Piper and Luke do too. Speaking of him, is he here today?"

Annabeth shook her head, her blonde hair now up in a bouncy ponytail. "No. I'm seeing him for dinner tonight, though, so I have to leave around five."

Thalia shook her head. "For a second, I thought you were about to break that."

Annabeth flinched, but didn't look mad. "Let's just go swim, yeah?"

The four of them changed in the locker rooms, and Percy was glad for the chance to talk to Jason alone.

"So," Percy shifted uncomfortably, slipping out of his t-shirt and getting out the sunscreen. "Why is Luke so unpopular with you guys?"

Jason gave a slight chuckle. "First, lower your voice if you're gonna talk about him in here. Second, it's not my story to tell. If Annabeth wants you to know, you'll know."

Percy scoffed. "Like Annabeth will ever want me to know anything about her. That girls got so many walls up…" He trailed off, unsure of where he was going with that statement.

"You gotta just lay off." Jason said, stuffing their things in an electronic locker that locked with a fingerprint. "Annabeth and Luke are… Annabeth and Luke, you know? Yeah, Luke may be an asshole but they'll work things out. Everybody's convinced they'll be married by the time they're out of high school."

Percy wondered what that would be like. To have that sort of stability in your life. Percy hadn't been with the same girl longer than a couple weeks at a time, and he sure as hell didn't know what it was like to be in love. On the other hand, it would be stifling. He couldn't imagine it, being with the same girl for his whole life, never having any other experience except for just that one. He would hate it, personally.

The girls were already out by the pool when him and Jason got out there since they had worn their swimsuits instead of changed in the lockers. Annabeth was digging out a book of her straw tote bag, and Thalia had already stripped down and was pulling on Annabeth's hand, begging the blonde to get in with her.

"Who reads at the pool?" Thalia asked. Annabeth was trying to pretend she was annoyed, but there was a small smile hidden under her scowl.

"Plenty of people." Annabeth pointed out. She was right, of course. There were about thirty other adults sitting around on the lounge chairs with their book or magazine of choice.

Thalia just wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, and they're all over thirty with kids and saggy tits. Come on, get in the pool."

Jason and Percy followed Thalia into the deep end, the three of them jumping in like they were seven. Annabeth crossed her arms over her body, before pulling off her coverup to reveal a bikini that was not covering enough. She jumped in after them, and the four of them splashed around like little kids for the better part of the afternoon.

A little after three, Piper showed up tying a waitress apron around her waist. "Just clocked in." She said after saying hi to them. "Anything to drink?" She asked with a little wink.

"A martini?" Annabeth suggested, looking up at her friend from her lounge chair with a giggle.

Piper laughed. "Sure. Beers for the rest of you?"

Thalia nodded, not looking up from whoever she was furiously texting. Percy thought it might have been a boy, but she was frowning at her screen, not looking lovestruck and happy.

A couple beers and martinis later, Thalia and Jason were soaking in the hot tub. Percy had thought about joining them, but he decided to let the siblings have their time. Besides, he was kind of relaxed, laying out in the sun on a cushioned lounge chair, solid tan lines starting to appear.

"Want another drink?" Annabeth asked.

Percy jumped. "Uh - yeah, sure. Sorry, I thought you were asleep."

She waved him off, sitting up and slipping on her flip flops. "Just had a lot of practice in the art of getting a minute of quiet while around those two." Her eyes drifted towards the pair, who were currently annoying the two older ladies in the hot tub with them. She headed up to the bar, Percy trying very hard not to watch her walk away in a swimsuit.

The blonde came back with two beers this time, and Percy took a sip, the cold liquid sliding down his throat.

Annabeth made a face, "Ugh. I always try to be a beer person, but it's just really the worst thing." She settled back into the lounge chair, setting the beer on the table.

Percy hadn't realized he was staring but Annabeth raised her sunglasses up on her head before raising an eyebrow at him. "I don't bite."

Percy regained his wits, looking back at his phone. "Really? Could've fooled me."

Annabeth sighed, sitting up again and this time putting her book back in her bag. "Whatever. I gotta go, tell Jason and Thalia I'll see them at family brunch tomorrow. And you, I guess."

"Family… family what?" Percy asked.

She was halfway to the locker rooms by now. "First Sunday of every month." The look On her face said _duh! _Before Percy could respond, she had disappeared inside the club, a man in a white uniform holding the door open for her.

He shook his head, leaning back again on the chair before he was interrupted by a bubbly brunette, her hair piled high on her head and wearing the same waitressing apron that Piper was. "Another beer?" She asked, her voice annoyingly high.

Percy shook his head, taking off his sunglasses. "No, all good."

She cocked her head, hand on her hip and clearly looking for a way to keep the conversation going. "You're new around here, I'm guessing?"

"Moved a few weeks ago." He answered, sitting up. Seeing her without the window of sunglasses over his eyes had made her ten times hotter, and she was very interested.

"Bethany." She said, sticking out her manicured hand.

"Percy." He said, with one of those dumb grins he gave girls that always made them swoon. "So, Bethany. You interested and getting two drinks for us?"

She smirked. "I'm on the job, but I'm off in an hour if you want to wait?"

"Sounds perfect." Percy said, leaning back again and slipping sunglasses on.

The girl smiled a little too wide before bouncing off and serving up the next round of food.

Minutes later, Jason and Thalia came back, their skin wrinkled like prunes and laughing like they had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Hey!" Jason said, grabbing a towel. "Where's Annabeth?"

"Luke, remember?" Percy said in response.

"Right. We're gonna head out, you coming?"

Percy glanced over at Bethany. He could go home with his friends, right now. The girl would be a little bummed, but she would get over it. Or… he could make the bad decision and wait until Bethany was done with her shift.

"Nah," His head inclined toward the girl, who was now serving a family their fries.

They followed his gaze. "You're kidding." Thalia said, rolling her eyes. "Bethany?"

"How do you know everybody? Aren't we like, a million miles away from Bridgeport?" Percy asked.

"She lives less than five miles from us." Jason said. "Her parents made her get a job here after she got suspended for alcohol in a water bottle during finals week."

Percy started laughing and quickly stopped when he realized no one else was. "So, anyways. You guys have a good time and I'll see you tomorrow."

"You're gonna be in so much trouble." Jason shook his head as he walked away.

"That's the point!" Percy called after them.

Hours later, after he had successfully snuck Bethany in his room, they had two rounds of average sex, and the girl was now sleeping peacefully next to him while he was more restless than he had been in a while. Giving up on sleeping and instead falling into the depths of social media, he ended up stalking his cousins instagrams until he ended up on Annabeth's page. Filled with dozens of pictures, about half with Luke and the other half with friends, he clicked on her most recent. Posted three hours ago, her in a blue summer dress, her hair perfectly curled and not at all frizzy like it was at the pool today, Luke in khakis and a button down. The two looked perfect together. If you were just looking at the picture, you would have thought they were the couple everybody dreamed of being in high school. But their smiles didn't reach either of their eyes.

_Celebrating 22 months. _The caption said, with a smirk emoji. 22 months. What kind of bullshit anniversary was that?

Percy almost turned the phone off and went back to sleep, but he instead made the rash decision to follow the blonde instead. Almost immediately, the notification went off. _ has started following you. _

Ten seconds later, he was shaking Bethany awake and sneaking her back out the window she came in.


	5. Cowgirls Don't Cry

**Chapter 5**

**Annabeth**

Annabeth needed to break up with Luke. She knew that, deep down, somewhere inside her. The rational part of her knew this, the one that said that he wasn't the one for her, that he treated her like shit. For the latter part of their date last night, he had flirted with the bartender and still - _still, _Annabeth had posted on Instagram, letting her one thousand, two hundred and thirty one followers know they were still going strong, still so in love. She disgusted herself.

And yet, her heart wasn't about to let him go. She confronted him about everything, and each time he would give her that smirk and kiss her and tell her he was sorry and she would forgive him because she was weak. She couldn't bear the thought of being alone, of having to tell her family that she had failed, having to explain to everyone at school - fuck, everyone in this whole dumb town - why there wasn't a ring on her finger when he came home from college.

"Annabeth." Athena's voice was sharp. She shook Annabeth's leg, and she realized her mom had been trying to get her attention for a while now.

She looked up from where her fingers had twisted her napkin into a wrinkled mess. "Yeah, sorry?" She asked, before Poseidon spoke up.

"I was just asking if you had any plans for college, yet. It's a little while aways, but I know Luke is going to USC, right?" Percy's dad asked, stabbing a bite of eggs while waiting for her to answer.

Annabeth felt like she was on fire. In reality, she was pissed. It wasn't Poseidon's fault, really, that he assumed she would follow Luke. The whole town did, honestly, and it bothered Annabeth more than she let on. Nobody even knew her around here. Nobody knew she got straight A's. Nobody knew that she was smarter than that entire school and had scored a perfect score on her SAT. Nobody knew that she had applied to Columbia early action already. "I'm not following Luke to California, if that's what you're asking." She spat out finally, her words nastier than she meant.

Poseidon seemed taken aback. "Oh no, I just -"

"It's whatever." She threw her napkin down on the table, ignoring everybody's eyes. "If you'll excuse me." She heard her parents protests, but she got up and stalked up the stairs, pretending to be in search of a bathroom. Instead, she walked until their voices were out of earshot so she didn't have to listen to the aftermath, and stumbled upon the only room that had the door open.

Unfortunately, that happened to be Percy's. It was a disaster, unsurprisingly. Most teenage boys' rooms were. Annabeth sank on the unmade bed, the sheets warm as if he had gotten out of bed right when they all sat down. There was a picture of Percy and an older woman on his bedside, most likely his mom. She had kind blue eyes, with pretty brown hair. She looked weathered, like city life had taken its toll on her. Percy stood next to her, possibly fourteen or fifteen in the photo, a glittering smile on his face. They were standing on a beach, a small town behind them.

"That's my mom." A voice said from the doorway. Percy was standing there, green eyes shining in amusement, like he found her display down there funny.

Annabeth whirled around. "Do you make it a habit to sneak up on people?" She snapped, glaring.

He held up his hands in defense. "Hey, it's my room."

She sunk deeper into the bed in defeat, blowing a whisp of hair out of her eye. "Yeah. Sorry. Just stressed."

Percy cracked a smile. "I can tell." He took the picture from her, staring wistfully down at it. "I wish I was in Manhattan."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "This is still too much hick for you?"

Percy shook his head, not noticing her bad attitude returning. "A little, but honestly I just miss my mom. She's my best friend. And my actual friends, too. Anyways, they sent me to come get you. Thalia said she needed you back to survive the morning."

Annabeth laughed. "Tell them I'll be down in a minute."

Percy nodded, turning to leave but stopping in the doorway. "Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever need to talk…" He paused, looking uncomfortable. "I mean, about Luke, or life, I-"

Annabeth's eyes iced over. She was not about to start talking to the new kid about her relationship problems with Luke, and for him to assume that was awfully presumptuous. "I think I'll be okay." She said coolly. Percy looked like he was biting back a nasty response, but he kept his mouth shut and left her alone.

She groaned, and flopped back on the bed trying to ignore the smell of Percy and ocean and clean linen that was making her feel a little funny. She counted to sixty before she got back up, straightened her yellow sundress, and put on a fake smile before going downstairs.

Two long hours later, the adults had finally decided they had had enough of sitting around a huge table drinking expensive coffee and talking about politics and the weather. They stood up, gathering purses and keys, kissing cheeks and saying their goodbyes in those sickening sweet southern accents.

"What's the plan for today?" Jason asked, popping a grape in his mouth before the platter was taken away.

"I'm taking Lily out riding today." Annabeth said, pulling on her boots. She needed some good quality time out in nature after this morning. "You guys are welcome to come."

"I'm down." Thalia said, Jason nodding behind her. "Percy?"

He looked uncomfortable. "I've…" He rocked back and forth on his heels, looking slightly sheepish. "I've never ridden a horse."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "No shit. Come on, city boy, it's not hard." She took his truck keys from him. "I'll drive." She got in before he could speak another word, but he spent the whole drive protesting from the passenger seat. Thalia and Jason were riding in their own car behind them, and Annabeth was starting to regret not going with them. She turned up the radio, a country station (the only kind they had out here), but that just made the protesting worse.

Ten long minutes later the four of them were in the stables, saddling up the horses. Annabeth was kind of waiting for Thalia or Jason to deal with Percy, but they were over there arguing over who was going to get her pure black horse, Blackjack. The two of them fought over the stallion pretty much every time they came over. Blackjack was their best horse probably in the whole stables. Gentle, but young so you didn't feel like he wasn't moving.

"Move over." Annabeth said. "Take Tempest and Guido. I'm giving Blackjack to Percy."

Thalia stared at her like she had dropped from the sky. "You're kidding. Blackjack's what, five? There's no way a beginner should be on him."

Annabeth glanced over at Percy who looked even more uncomfortable than previously. "I think they'll get along. Come over here, he's not gonna bite."

"Y'all are crazy." Jason said, shaking his head but obeying and got out a saddle for Tempest.

"They seem to think I'm gonna die." Percy said, jerking his thumb over to his cousins.

Annabeth shook his head. "They don't know my horses like I do. You'll be fine. Besides, you must have already built some kind of connection with Blackjack, working here and all."

Percy didn't respond, and Annabeth tried not to laugh. She had given multiple people riding lessons - it was part of her family's livelihood, but something about watching this arrogant city boy having to adjust to their way of life was bringing her a little too much joy.

"Here." She said, handing him a brush. "Start with this. The first thing is making a connection. Horses can sense fear, so the more scared you are the worse this is going to be for you."

He took the brush from her, hesitantly starting to brush Blackjack's side.

"Good." Annabeth said, "I'll be right back, just going to saddle up Lily." She finished up with her horse, checking the girth before heading back to a slightly more comfortable Percy. "I'll teach you the saddle later. For now, we'll just get going." She said, doing it quickly before making sure his stirrups fit. After a short instruction on how to make sure the horse wasn't going to go running off in a random direction, they left the stables.

"Just stay by me. Blackjack knows he can't do anything dumb if I'm near." She told Percy. "And loosen up." She said. He sent her a death glare, but her face showed she was just teasing.

"This isn't as easy as the movies make it look." He grumbled. The siblings were in front of them, arguing once again over who hit who with a stick.

"Do they ever stop?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head, snickering. "Unfortunately, no." She responded. They were entering the forest, but she made sure she stayed on a path big enough that her and Percy could ride side by side. Her friends had been right - Blackjack was possibly not the most reliable and she wasn't exactly sure why she gave him to Percy. Maybe because Blackjack didn't really have an owner. He was a rescue, from an abusive farm a couple states away. In a way, both Blackjack and Percy were kind of homeless.

Half a mile in, Percy looked infinitely more comfortable in the saddle. "I'm gonna be so sore." He commented. "Is this why you guys walk weird around here?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Probably. We'll do real lessons soon. I'm assuming you want to learn how to keep up at some point."

"Keep up?" Percy asked. "I couldn't really imagine doing anything other than walking."

Annabeth smirked. "Thalia?" She asked. Her best friend turned around. "Switch spots with me for a sec."

Thalia grinned, like she knew what was happening. They switched, Annabeth gave Lily a slight couple kicks and then they were running. The wind was in her hair, the intoxicating smell of nature entering her body, and there was nothing better. This was exactly what Annabeth needed after a morning like the one she had just had. She slowed, letting out a loud laugh before turning around and trotting back to her original spot.

Percy shook his head. "Show off." He commented. Annabeth just started giggling again.

"By the end of the summer with me, all you'll need is a hat and some boots and I can make you into a cowboy." She said, pulling her hair up into a ponytail.

"Great." He grumbled. "Just what I want."

By the time they got to the creek, Percy was so happy to be on solid ground again he literally kissed it. The boys stripped quickly, jumping into the water as fast as they could with loud _whoops! _that would have bothered neighbors if they had any. Annabeth pushed the redness down out of her cheeks, pretending that it was from the heat not the fact that Percy had a very nice six pack and he was currently shirtless.

Instead, she joined Thalia on a rock, one of their favorite spots to sit and talk. Annabeth rolled up her jeans, sticking her feet in next to Thalia, the two of them quiet and drinking in the sun for a moment. "I think I need to break up with Luke." Annabeth said quietly, rolling a stone in her hand.

Thalia snorted. "No shit."

Annabeth shot her a look. "Thals, this is serious. You know how it is around here. Everybody's convinced we're getting married. Myself included, up until a few weeks ago."

"I know." Thalia said, bumping her shoulder.

"Get in!" They heard from below, the boys waving at them.

Annabeth laughed. "In a minute!" She called down, the answer seeming to please them for the moment.

"Why?" Thalia asked. "I mean, besides the obvious."

Annabeth shrugged, throwing the rock somewhere deep in the woods. "I think I've just realized that there's not that… spark? The one that everybody talks about. And I'm not a romantic, I'm not even sure I believe in the 'spark' but I feel like seventeen is too early to give up on that."

Thalia nodded. "And there's the other reasons, like he makes you feel like shit and ditched us for the football stars."

Annabeth smiled. "And those."

"Are you sure this isn't because somebody else gives you this 'spark'?" Thalia asked. At first, Annabeth was confused until she followed her friend's gaze down to a certain black haired boy.

Annabeth shoved her. "Ew. Never. Like I could be interested in some city kid. I'm a country girl, and I will be marrying somebody who knows how to ride a horse and drive a truck. And listens to the right kinda music."

"The important stuff." Thalia mused. "But seriously. I'm here for you, whatever you need."

Annabeth gave her friend a one-armed hug, surprised she didn't push her away. "Love you."

"Love you." Thalia said, a rare show of affection. Before they could get too sappy though, her best friend was stripping out of her clothes. "Race you!" She squealed.

"Hey! You got a head start!" Annabeth protested, slipping out of her denim and racing after her, the four them splashing around for a good part of the afternoon. By the time they were back on the horses, the sun was setting.

Summer was magical. It was warm out, the sky was displaying shades of pink and orange, and the smell of fresh flowers was strong. Percy rode next to her quietly, no longer asking excessive questions like was he holding the reigns right for the sixth time, or was kicking the horse hurting Blackjack.

"You know." Percy drawled, shifting slightly in his saddle.

"Hmm." Annabeth hummed, slowing slightly to let the siblings get a little further ahead. She wasn't sure why, but she had actually enjoyed Percy's company today. It scared her, honestly. _He's annoying. _She reminded herself. But in all reality, he really wasn't. He was just somebody who was out of his element and scared. Annabeth could relate to that.

"It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be here." He said quietly.

Annabeth laughed. "What was that? You wanna say it louder?" Percy rolled his eyes, blushing, and Annabeth laughed again. "Kidding. Just wait until the end of the summer, you're never gonna want to leave."

Percy smirked. "We'll see about that."

That night, after the horses had been put away and her friends had left, Annabeth was sitting on her bed, the moon shining in the window. It was late, maybe eleven, and she had hoped that Luke wouldn't be up when she texted him.

_I think we need to talk. _

_Same. _The response came too soon, like he had been expecting a text.

_Tomorrow? Lunch at Auntie Mae's?_

_12 PM. I'll pick you up._

_I'll drive myself. _She responded. There was no way she was going to want to be in a car with him after the conversation they needed to have.


	6. Oh My My

**Chapter 6**

**Percy**

Though Percy would never admit this to anyone else, the small town was growing on him. The days ran together, and he couldn't tell a weekend from a weekday. His little morning ritual of driving half an hour into town to the coffee shop that his cousin's friend Hazel worked at. It was kind of nice having someone know your order before you even open your mouth.

It was a normal day in Bridgeport. The sun was out, beating down on him and he could feel the heat even through the window in his air conditioned room. He had just gotten him and his dad coffee - being confident enough to drive the truck faster than twenty miles an hour was a newfound hobby - and he was about to leave for his job at the Chase's ranch.

Yesterday was fun. He had never really thought horses would be his thing, but he might have been slightly wrong. At least now he wouldn't have to be left in the dust every time his friends wanted to go riding.

Point is, he was in a pretty good mood when he showed up to the Chase's at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning. Another thing he had learned about country life - they all woke up at 4 in the morning and sleeping in was unheard of. Instead of birds chirping and a nice morning of saying hello to the horses before he started chores, he got a handful of reigns thrown at him complete with an agitated horse and an even more pissed off Annabeth.

"Wash her down." The blonde ordered, hanging her hat on a hook by Lily's stall.

"Can I get a please?" Percy asked, mostly joking. What was she doing up now anyways?

Annabeth shot him a nasty look. "You work for me, remember?"

Percy dropped his smile and was about to throw the reigns back at her but thought better of it. He did need this job. He tied Lily up silently, and got to work hosing her down, trying to ignore Annabeth as she paced up and down the length of the barn.

"It's just stupid." She finally sputtered out. She was a full cowgirl today, in jeans and riding boots with a flannel, her hair slightly mussed from being under a hat. "I mean, of course my car breaks down. What am I supposed to do, let him pick me up? Are you even listening?"

Percy glanced up. "Honestly, I thought you were talking to the horses."

Annabeth huffed. "I give up. Boys are ridiculous." She turned violently on her heel and stalked out of the barn, hopefully to go take a shower.

Scott, another farmhand came out from behind the office, shaking his head. "She's nuts."

A week ago, Percy would have agreed. Now… "She's not so bad." He heard himself say.

Scott looked at him like he was the one who had just thrown a tantrum. "Don't tell me you're catching feelings too." He shook his head, like this was a common occurrence in Bridgeport. Percy got the feeling it didn't always end well for the boys.

Percy blushed, stuttering out, "O-of course not." He said, before turning his attention back to the dusty back legs of Annabeth's horse.

The southern sun beat down harshly, and Percy found himself covered in sweat barely after lunchtime. Up until today, Leo and Percy's shifts had never crossed paths, but when Percy stumbled down to the creek to cool off after a glass of water and a sandwich, he found his… friend had had the same idea.

"Percy!" Leo said with a wide grin. "Get in, dude. Best feeling ever. Don't let the boss know, though. This doesn't constitute a paycheck."

Percy laughed. "Noted." He said, stripping down to his boxers and slipping into the water. He floated on his back, reveling in the cool feeling, the first time he had felt a comfortable temperature since he left his house this morning.

The boys were splashing around, until they heard the unmistakeable sound of a truck rumbling down the driveway. They froze, knowing this was not considered something worth a paycheck, watching as a head of blonde curls was barely noticeable through the trees. They didn't move again until the sound was long gone.

Leo let out a breath. "The last time the Chase's caught me cooling off when I was supposed to be working I had to work for free for a week."

Percy frowned. "Isn't that illegal?"

Leo looked at him like he was weird, so he dropped it. Leo shook his head, glancing in the direction the truck had gone. "Hopefully she's okay." He frowned. "She hasn't been the nicest to be around lately."

"Yeah," Percy grumbled, thinking back to their interaction that morning. "I noticed."

Leo raised an eyebrow. He looked like he wanted to say something, but was biting his tongue. "We should get back to work." He declared, throwing Percy his sweaty t-shirt and slipping back on his own work boots.

In five minutes, the boys were dressed and walking back through the woods, ready to start an afternoon of chores.

"You know," Leo stopped suddenly. "I love Annabeth, but…" He trailed off, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

"But what?" Percy questioned, irritated.

"Just be careful, is all." Leo advised. "She tends to think of new kids - especially new boys - as… how should I put this. Fresh meat?" He kicked at the dirt, not meeting Percy's eyes.

Percy glared. After his short talk with Scott this morning, he didn't need anyone else implying he was falling for the infamous Annabeth Chase. "I can take care of myself." He grumbled, stalking off before Leo could say anything else.

"Perce, man -" Leo stumbled, but Percy's legs were longer and before long Leo's voice faded into the distance. Percy rolled his eyes. Like he would ever be interested in Annabeth.

He hadn't planned on staying at Annabeth's house longer than the time his shift was over - a solid six pm, time for him to be home for dinner - but he couldn't resist the dip in the pool she offered him.

"My brother's have swim trunks in their rooms." She pointed at a closed door with a large paper sign that said KEEP OUT in mismatched colors. "They should fit you."

Annabeth was still in a terrible mood. Her company was definitely not what sounded appealing to him. It was mostly the summer sun, and the sweat that was literally dripping down his back after today. It had gotten over ninety for the first time since he got here, and he was sure it wasn't going to be the last of the sticky, humid days.

He changed quickly, throwing his wet work clothes onto a lounge chair opposite the side where Annabeth was swinging her feet in the shallow end of the chlorinated water. Her curls were up in a ponytail, wisps sticking to the back of her hot neck. Another - a very tiny - reason he might have wanted to stay was due to the white triangle bikini she was wearing and the sun glinting off her tanned skin, and the fact that her grey eyes were still sparking with anger when he came over to her, but that he found it… no. There was no way. Angry Annabeth was _not _turning him on.

He settled in next to her, an uncomfortable silence blanketing them before she finally spoke.

"What do you really think of it here?" She asked quietly.

He waited for her to expand, but she was silent. Percy didn't have an answer for her. Did he hate it? No. Did he like it? No. He was indifferent at this point. He wanted to go back to New York, of course, but he also had found people he was… friends with here. "It's fine." He responded weakly.

Annabeth snorted. "That's a pathetic answer." She snapped. "If you were wondering, I hate it here."

"I wasn't." Percy snapped back, immediately regretting it.

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Remember who pays your little minimum wage." She snarled, turning to face him. She was breathing heavy, her chest heaving against the small constraints of her swimsuit.

Percy yanked his eyes up before she could catch him looking. "You seem to remind me of that often, Chase." He chuckled humorlessly, his body moving subconsciously closer.

Her cheeks flushed. "At least I'm not the one stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere because I couldn't keep it in my pants, Jackson."

"Careful." He warned, his face dangerously close to hers. "One might think you were interested."

Her breath stuttered. "I have a boyfriend, mind you. He's _dangerously jealous._" She emphasized, in a way that made it sound like _she _needed the reminder that he was jealous.

Percy's groin twitched. He was definitely interested - or at least, his dick was - but there was no way he was going to let her in on that little secret. "Right. I forgot. You and your little All-American football player are gonna settle down, have a few babies and pretend like you never wanted _more _out of life."

"Percy," She flared, but he was on a roll.

"You wanna know what I think about this place? I think it's dreadfully boring. I think nobody here has any goals, they have zero excitement. They have no idea what it means to _live their lives. _You sit around doing chores and drinking cheap beer and you all talk about getting out of here like it's a fact but you know as well as I do that that will never happen. You're stuck here, and I think you're jealous of me. You're jealous that at the end of August, I'm walking out of this shit hole and going back to live my life. And you'll still be here, with your high school boyfriend. " He spit out. Annabeth had leaned far away from him, her breath no longer spilling over his lips, her cheeks flushed and red from anger or embarrassment, he couldn't tell.

She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again before standing up and stalking off in the direction of her house. Percy stood and followed her. "Nothing to say?" He taunted.

She whipped around. Her eyes were wet, and Percy kind of started to feel bad. That feeling disappeared, though, when she spoke, "At least I know how to treat my family and friends." She bit her lip, the move unreasonably affecting Percy. "You're a grade A asshole, and we both know the only reason you're here. So I suggest you save the lectures on how terrible we are and start looking in the mirror. Because from where I'm standing you still have a lot of work to do."

Percy didn't argue. The words stung. She turned away from him again and wrapped her towel around herself before running back into the house.

She was right, unfortunately, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He grabbed his own towel and got back in his truck, whipping out of their driveway at speeds that would have scared his mother to death. Fuck Annabeth. Fuck this _town. _If that's what they thought of him, then he didn't need friends.

Percy smirked. If they thought he was an asshole, then he was determined to prove them right.

**I am back and have zero good excuse as to why I have been gone. However, I don't plan on abandoning this story and I**** hope to be back to regular updates again. I have a couple other stories started, so let me know if you want me to post those or finish this before I start another one. Also, next chapter will be this day from Annabeth's perspective which will explain why she still calls Luke her boyfriend at the end of this. I know it's short, but I wanted to get it up for y'all. Let me know what you guys think!**

**-a**


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning: this chapter deals with a slightly violent sex scene and some relationship abuse. Nothing physical, but just wanted to warn you guys. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

**Annabeth**

Annabeth was having a terrible day and it wasn't even breakfast time yet. The air was sticky and humid already when she woke up as if the universe was purposely making a bad day worse. She barely had the energy to get out of bed, knowing what she had to do today.

A text from Luke popped up on her phone. _Still on for lunch?_

Annabeth sighed, sending him a quick confirmation. She had tossed and turned all night, debating on canceling on him, or sending him a breakup text at two in the morning, or just going to lunch and pretending like everything was fine.

Could she really do this? She hadn't really been alone since before her freshman year of high school. She had never been single. She had never had the freedom to walk into a bar and kiss a stranger, or hook up with a guy at a party. And up until recently she had been perfectly okay with that. She didn't know if it was the fact that college was approaching or she was changing or if it had to do with another boy coming to town but something had changed. She needed to experience that freedom that came with being single, _needed _to experience something other than Luke.

Then, things went really south. Lily was a disaster on their trail ride, skittering around when she saw sticks, rearing up at the sight of a chipmunk. Annabeth wondered if her horse could feel her own anxiety. On the way back, she stopped by her truck to grab the boots she wanted to wear, and that's when she realized the dumb thing wouldn't start. To make matters worse, Percy was in the barn when she got back looking unreasonably attractive in his t-shirt and jeans, the sight sending a rush of heat through her stomach. So of course, she did the most logical thing. She picked a fight.

He looked taken aback, which kind of hurt but it made Annabeth feel better to yell at somebody, something, _anything, _so she figured he could take it. She arranged to take her dad's truck instead, and she was the first to arrive at the diner. Annabeth took a seat at the booth they always sat at, giving Mae a tight smile.

"Darlin'" The older woman placed a menu in front of Annabeth, her southern accent thick as honey, "Somebody else joining ya today?"

Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip. "Luke should be here soon."

"Ah," Mae said, her face breaking out into a big smile. "You two are just the cutest, sweetheart. Everybody's rootin' for ya."

Annabeth choked out a thanks and pretended to be busy with her menu. She heard the familiar rumble of his truck before she actually saw him, the little bell on the door ringing when he walked in. He looked good. Of course, looks weren't the problem with them. He was relaxed in running shorts and an old t-shirt and Annabeth began to doubt herself.

_No. _A voice in the back of her head said, _you know what you need to do._

Annabeth stiffened when he sat down, leaning forward to give her a quick kiss before saying hello. His lips were chapped and uninviting.

"Did you already order?" He asked, scanning the menu even though they had both been here enough times to know what they wanted.

Annabeth shook her head slightly. "No, but she's getting our milkshakes."

Luke looked up, cocking his head. "Everything alright?" He looked slightly concerned. It pained Annabeth. He knew her so well, it _hurt._

"Yeah," She forced a smile. _NO. _"Do you want to share some fries?" _Do you want to break up? _Her subconscious screamed.

_Be quiet. _She told it. Maybe she was losing her mind. Actually, she had probably lost it already a long time ago.

"Sure." He responded, completely oblivious to the war going on inside her. "I'm not super hungry, so that's probably enough."

"Great." She smiled up at him. Mae came over with two milkshakes, strawberry for Annabeth, chocolate for Luke. Annabeth took a huge drink while Luke ordered, trying to look busy. Since when had a date with Luke become awkward? And boring?

She took a deep breath, desperately trying to think of a way to start the conversation, "Luke, I think we need to - we need - there's something," She stumbled over her words, unable to spit them out. There was something in his eyes - doubt, pity, concern - no, _fear. _Fear at the words she was trying to get out.

Luke took her hand from across the table. "I think I know what you're trying to say."

Annabeth almost spit up her drink. "You do?" She inquired.

He nodded solemnly. It was a weird expression on him. She rarely saw him act serious, even when it was just the two of them. "We should talk about what we're going to do once I go to college. I mean, obviously, we'll still be together, but I just want you to know that everything will be okay. You can come visit, and I'll obviously come home all the time so we can spend time together."

"Oh," She couldn't breathe, but Luke took it as she was scared or nervous or something about him leaving. Of course, she couldn't breathe because she had come here to break up with him and here he was basically telling her he saw a future for them years from now.

His eyebrows drew together at her lack of response, "We are on the same page about this, right? I mean… I'm planning on forever with you."

Annabeth almost threw up. "Forever?" She choked out.

He chuckled nervously, "I'm not proposing. Just, we've been together since we were fourteen. I thought maybe that meant something."

Somewhere in the back of Annabeth's mind she knew that was a condescending, controlling statement. She realized all of a sudden, he knew exactly where she had wanted to take this conversation. He knew things were rough between them. But by reminding her of their history, he was trying to guilt her into another few months with him.

A part of Annabeth, the part that wasn't drowning in his puppy eyes, or remembering all of the good moments they had had, was aware that this was the wrong conversation. Aware that she wanted to _break up with him. _Aware that in his own twisted way, he was manipulating her.

But he was Luke, and he was hers, and he was looking at her so hopefully and all of a sudden she couldn't do it. They were Annabeth and Luke. Breaking up was not an option in this town. The rumors would be endless, and all of them would point poorly to her. Who knows what Luke would say about her if _she _dumped _him. _She reached out and took his hand again. "Of course it does." She said softly.

He grinned, "Good." He said, reaching for their untouched fries. "I can't imagine losing you, Annie."

She cringed at the nickname. Why couldn't she bring herself to do it? The only thing holding her back was the past, which was ridiculous. She liked to think of herself as _not _sentimental, but she couldn't bring herself to dump in. In fact, she couldn't even bring herself to tell him no when he said they should go get some ice cream before heading home. She had brought her own car, but he insisted on driving.

"I'll drop you off when we're done." He promised. She agreed, reluctantly, and climbed into his passenger seat. She rolled down the window and stuck her legs out, the hot air whipping at her skin. She turned the radio up louder and felt Luke grab her hand, tracing circles on the inside of her wrist.

Annabeth rifled through her bag and pulled out sunglasses, slipping them on. The whole scene was so familiar yet so wrong, that Annabeth felt an odd sense of deja vu, like this wasn't the first time she had been guilted into staying with him, being with him.

His hand traveled farther up her arm, until it was brushing her neck. She shivered, heat in her lower regions appearing. This was what he wanted, she _knew that, _and she shouldn't give him this - this satisfaction, this controlling behavior was so unhealthy, but there was something about it that turned her on and that scared her even more.

She was so fucked up.

And then they were passing their hookup spot. A little clearing off of the back road between the diner and town. Tire marks cleared the path into the woods, the place used by teenagers daily.

"Pull over." Annabeth said, making an extremely dangerous - no, rash - no, disgusting, decision.

Luke smirked. "Gladly." He sounded proud. God, there was something seriously wrong with her. The car bumped along in the dirt, Annabeth already pulling her boots off so they could climb in the back. She went first, Luke throwing the car into park as fast as he could. She always went first, since she was never on top. Luke hated it whenever she tried that.

His buckle came undone with a sickening clink and he ripped her underwear off her - literally ripped - she could see it laying in tatters on the floor of his truck. Her eyes zeroed in on that as he entered her, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. She felt as if she looked up at him she might break, show signs of weakness and she couldn't do that. She was strong, she was the girl with the quarterback boyfriend and the rich parents and she was Annabeth fucking Chase. She was _not _going to start crying just because she wasn't enjoying sex right now. The car rocked back and forth, the old wheels creaking at their movements.

"Annabeth," He panted. "Look at me."

She didn't - she couldn't, she felt frozen in place as he grasped roughly at her breast.

"I said," He stilled inside her, grabbing her chin roughly. She forced down tears as his eyes met hers, the look in them purely... purely animalistic, controlling, disgusting and she realized he couldn't get there without feeling in control, without touching her roughly, without gripping her thighs a little too hard.

What had she been _thinking? _She wanted to tell him to stop, that she hated this, but she couldn't speak. "Look at me." He said forcefully, before roughly starting to move again. And she realized that he didn't care how she felt. He didn't care if she came or if she was happy or satisfied after. She was a place for him to stick his dick.

And then his hand was on her throat, choking her. Not hard, but dangerously enough that she was… no. No, no, no. There was no way.

But she was.

She was so insanely turned on that she had to stifle a very loud moan because she was not - she would never - give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was pleasuring her right now. Except he did know, and a cocky, ugly grin spread across her face forcing her to close her eyes.

Another mistake. As soon as she shut them, a pair of green eyes popped up, and before she could help it she was picturing _him_ inside of her, _his _hand on her throat and then she moaned for real because she _knew _then that this is what she had been wanting subconsciously. She suddenly found herself closer to the edge, finishing just as Luke was pushed over the edge. He let out a grunt before slumping against her. She allowed them one, two seconds before shoving him off her.

"I want to go home." She stuttered finally, after he had zipped up and they were back in the front seat.

Luke grinned in a way that made her feel so uncomfortable she almost vomited. "Sure. That was great, though." He kissed her and Annabeth felt another wave of nausea.

"Yeah," She murmured. She stuck her head in her phone the rest of the drive, ignoring the sickening feeling in her stomach and the wet feeling in her panties, a painful reminder of what she had just let happen.

Luke sped home, and all she was thinking about was her locking her door and spending the rest of the day in bed trying to figure out her feelings. They turned down her road, and she found herself face to face with the Grace Mansion.

"Stop." She said suddenly. He slammed on the brakes.

"Wanna pull over again?" He laughed. She fought down a wave of nausea. He disgusted her. She disgusted herself for staying with him.

"No just - just drop me off at Thalia's." She was breathless, she couldn't breathe, she needed -

"Sure." He said, turning down their drive. "I'll see you soon?"

She didn't respond, jumping out of his car and running before he had the chance to kiss her again.

"Annabeth!" Jason said in surprise as tripped over herself into the house, the familiar parlor in her view. "What are you-"

"Later." She gasped. "Thalia?"

"Her room." Jason said, reaching towards her but she brushed him off. He said something else but she couldn't comprehend.

She pushed open the doors to Thalia's room, stumbling in, tripping over a few dirty pieces of clothing.

"Hey!" Thalia laughed, then turned serious at how - how, desperate Annabeth knew she looked. Weak and desperate and drowning in whatever this thing she had with Luke was. She needed - she was fucked - this was unhealthy. She needed _therapy _after the realization she had come to today. She couldn't let him go, not because of the past, not because of his looks or his pleading face, not because of all their memories but because she somehow - someway had developed an attraction for the constant _abuse_ he had caused her over the past few years. Emotional, sure, but he was abusing her and she - she was _into it. _It didn't matter how she got here. Maybe it was his doing, grooming or whatever those psychiatrists called it, maybe it was her own sick, twisted, disgusting mind.

She hadn't realized she was fainting until Thalia caught her, and then she was sobbing. Ugly, heaving sobs and she could feel her best friend's hands in her hair and Annabeth was clinging to her and _sobbing. _

Somehow Thalia got her onto the bed. Annabeth didn't know how much time had passed before she finally calmed down, but Thalia didn't move the entire time.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked finally. Annabeth had stopped crying, but she figured it was more because she just didn't have any tears left.

"I-I tried to break up with Luke today." She sniffled.

Thalia put her chin on Annabeth's head. "I take it that didn't go well."

Annabeth shook her head, sitting up and looking her friend in the eye. "I - I'm - I think I'm _addicted _to him." She whispered. "Thalia, there's something wrong with me."

"No." She said firmly. "There is something wrong with Luke. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Whatever you think, it's him, Annabeth. You know I've seen the way he's treated you this past year."

"But-" Annabeth sniffled.

"No buts. Lets send the dick a text right now and tell him it's over." Thalia said aggressively.

Annabeth managed a laugh. "Not right now. But I might take you up on that offer soon."

"Good." She nodded. "I have this thing with my dad, but I can cancel if you want. Whatever you need."

Annabeth smiled at her gratefully. "No, go be with your family. I should get home soon anyways, my family will be wondering where I am."

Thalia gave her a huge hug. "I love you." She said quietly.

"I know." Annabeth sniffed again, determined to not end up crying. "I love you." Annabeth hauled herself out of bed, halfway out the door before Thalia spoke.

"When you want to talk about what actually happened today, I'm here for that too." Her best friend's pointed look gave Annabeth the idea that she wasn't dropping it - this would be revisited.

Annabeth held back a sigh, and left. The Grace's chauffeur drove her to her car at the diner and she drove herself home with shaky hands. Of course, then she saw _him _again, and she couldn't help having a flashback to when she was positive she was going to have to fake it but then she saw those eyes in her ridiculous fantasy and she had gotten there - for the first time, with Luke.

His eyes were sparkling today, and she had done the stupidest thing she could have done - asked him to hang out. Percy looked surprised, but she figured he would be after the way she had acted that morning. Annabeth didn't know what she thought was going to happen. Maybe she was delusional, thinking they would all of a sudden get along - yes, that was it. She must have been delusional to think he could be nice for an evening.

And then she had said that dumb thing about a boyfriend, and things got worse, and she ended up crying again this time alone in her own bed. Out of all seventeen years of her ridiculous life, she had never felt more lonely or empty than she did today.

**I'm back very soon haha, mostly because I was extremely bored babysitting today during nap time. This chapter is violent, so I'm sorry if it was too much for people. But I wanted to add another layer of complexity to their relationship, since I think it explains why she's staying with him over and over again. Anyways, hope you guys liked, I promise there really won't be anything this crazy again. Definitely lemons, but nothing like this. Love y'all.**

**-a**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

**Percy**

Percy hadn't seen Annabeth since their fight at the pool. Not that he missed her, or even was thinking about her for that matter.

While he was _not_ thinking about her, he asked Thalia where she was when him and his cousins were hanging out a couple days later. Annabeth had become a thorn in his side over the past week or so, always there when Jason and Thalia asked him to hang out. It was weird without her.

"She's… dealing with some stuff." Thalia waved him off with a vague answer. "She'll be at the party tonight though."

"What party?" Percy asked, because nobody had the decency to tell him anything around here. He usually just got dragged around like his friend's doll.

Jason looked up from the video game, where he was demolishing Percy. To be fair, Percy had been a little distracted lately. He wanted to ask if the reason Annabeth wasn't here was because of their fight at the pool, but he didn't know if the siblings had even heard of that so he wasn't going to risk opening up that discussion.

"The abandoned house." Jason said finally.

"Uh?" Percy said intelligently.

Thalia rolled her eyes, looking up from whatever was so interesting on her computer. "The party, dumbass. You asked what party."

"It's at the abandoned house." Jason said, killing Percy's character on the xbox. "Boom! Beat you, again." Jason threw the remote down dramatically.

Thalia leaned over Percy from her spot perched on her bed and smacked him on the head. "Idiot."

"Ow!" Percy said, rubbing the bruise that was already forming. "What was that for?"

"It was for you letting my brother win. He hasn't won against you since you got here. His ego's about to get even bigger." She tried to smack him again but Percy dodged this one.

"That hurt." He whined.

"Thalia's right." Jason commented, standing up and stretching out. "You've been weird all day. What's up?"

"Nothin'" Percy grumbled. "I gotta go, my dad wants me to clean my room." _Lie. _"I'll see y'all at the party." Jason shot him a weird look, shaking his head. Luckily, he didn't question any further.

"We'll pick you up." Thalia corrected. "And fix that attitude!" She yelled after him. He could hear the siblings start to fight all the way out the door. The sound didn't fade until he was back on the dirt road, heading towards his own house.

He didn't get very far, maybe half a mile before another truck came whipping around the bend going way too fast for the road. He had to swerve to avoid a crash, and was about to roll down his window to give them a certain gesture but he stopped short when he registered a lock of blonde hair escaping out the window and curling around the door. Annabeth sat in the drivers seat, glancing at him with puffy, red-rimmed eyes like she had been crying. She took her sunglasses off her head though and placed them over her eyes so he couldn't see the gray anymore.

Percy gave her a friendly wave, but she acted like she had no idea who he was. It hurt. More than Percy wanted to admit, or would ever admit out loud. He had really fucked up this time. He didn't think he had even said anything _that _bad at the pool. To be fair, she had her own fair share of rude things to say, but he racked his brain, trying to think of what could have pissed her off so much that she would avoid Thalia even just to not be around him.

Or maybe, he wasn't even the reason she was crying. He was barely even part of her life. They didn't know each other - like at all. Maybe he was being totally self-centered by assuming she was crying over something as insignificant as _him._

He felt like he was drowning, in guilt, in - in hate, but he was driving, he forgot, his foot was pressing on the gas, the wheel was out of control, he felt out of control. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that his house was approaching but he couldn't get her out of his head, couldn't bring himself to step on the brake, couldn't _remember _to step on the brake and he was so distracted and then...

And then… _oops _was his only thought as he swung the truck down his driveway twenty miles too fast because he wasn't paying attention at all, crashed into the fence, scared the horses into running away and crashed into the side of the garage.

"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck." God, he was stupid. He pushed open the crunched door, backing as far away as possible in case the thing blew. His dad came thundering out, the front door slamming with a deafening _thud._

"PERSEUS JACKSON."

"Fuck." He murmured again under his breath.

Luckily, the damage was minimal. The fence could be repaired easily, the garage wasn't crashing down - just a small dent. Unfortunately, Poseidon was more concerned with the state of his fence and ranch then with Percy's wellbeing.

"You will clean up this fence and also pay for the damages to the truck." Poseidon said, storming around the living room while Percy sat on the couch like a little kid. "And the garage. That's coming out of your paycheck too."

"Right, because my minimum wage check is better than your millions of dollars." Percy snapped.

Poseidon's eyes flashed with anger, "What was that?" He asked, dangerously quiet.

Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Yes, sir." He said instead, softly.

His dad wavered, like he wasn't sure if he wanted to punish or hit Percy right now, but he settled on a, "Good." narrowing his eyes at his son.

"Can I go now?" Percy asked, looking warily up at Poseidon.

"Yes." Poseidon answered, and Percy stood up, relieved. "You can go outside and start cleaning up." He ordered, pointing to the door.

"I - I have - but -" Percy stuttered.

"I don't care." Poseidon said. "You're not going anywhere until that's completely cleaned up."

The tone in Poseidon's voice told Percy it was better not to argue, so after convincing him a change in clothes was needed to go work on the mess, Percy headed out into the afternoon sun. Within seconds, he was sweating. He worked until the sun was setting, and he heard the familiar groan of tires coming down the road.

"What are you _doing?" _Thalia asked him from the passenger side, her legs swung up op on the dash. Percy looked down at himself. He was covered in dust from head to toe, his shoes looked like they had been bathed in mud and he was sure his face didn't look much better.

Percy pointed wordlessly to where his truck was sitting, banged up and pulled over waiting for the tow truck to get here. Annabeth stifled a laugh from the backseat, which was rude but it was good to see her laugh.

Jason gave him a look, "You're kidding."

"I'm grounded, dude." Percy shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere tonight."

"Yes, you are." Thalia said defiantly. "I drove all the way here to pick up your dumbass since you clearly shouldn't own a driver's license, so get in the goddam truck." He rolled his eyes. It took five minutes to get between their houses, and Thalia wasn't even the one _in_ the driver's seat.

Percy sent a weary glance back at his house. His dad would still be working even though it was eight on a Friday night. Then, he would hopefully forget about Percy and go settle in for the night with Amphitrite. Besides, if he got caught he could just pull the you didn't raise me card.

That was a bitchy thought, but Percy couldn't find it in himself to care. He shrugged, dusted off his clothes as best he could then hopped in the backseat next to Annabeth. She made a face.

"You smell." She scrunched up her nose.

"Yeah, well, you ignored me." He said in return, glancing over to find her cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The blonde sniffed, turning her head to stare out the window, her actions similar to the ones during their argument just a few days ago. He wondered if he should apologize, but thought better of it. She could apologize if she wanted too, and so far she had been just as rude as usual. In the rearview mirror, he caught Thalia's eye as she raised a suspicious eyebrow but didn't speak.

Percy wanted to ask if Luke would be there. Maybe for just information, maybe because he hated Luke for unknown reasons, maybe because he wanted Annabeth to himself. No. It was purely for info, of course, nothing more, he was silly to think anything more. However, he didn't want to ruin the good mood in the car especially since Annabeth had been crying just a few hours ago. Now, though, she and Thalia were singing along to the radio, throwing their hands up and laughing. By the time they got there, Percy himself was in a much better mood. He was ready to grab a beer, hang out with his friends and just have a nice, relaxing, good time.

He should have known better than to think that was going to happen, considering his luck.

The abandoned house was creepy, with the siding falling off in pieces and a missing front door - no, wait, the door was laying somewhere to the right of where it should have been. He hadn't seen the place yet, since it was tucked away far into the woods but it was nothing special. There was a clearing in the front with about twenty or so trucks parked in the dirt. Some had their tailgates down, one had its windows fogged up and was moving in an unmistakable way.

Annabeth paled when she saw that one, her eyes darting around frantically as if she was utterly scandalized by the whole situation even though Percy _knew _she had done her own fair share of… encounters such as that. She was grabbing Thalia's arm and dragging her deeper into the crowd of teenagers before Percy had a chance to dwell on why, to ask her why.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone long enough to start thinking about her and… her because that was all he thought about these days. Leo came running up to him and Jason, beers in hand.

"Boys!" He yelled, obviously already very drunk. Frank came stumbling up behind him, looking confused like he had been dragged out here against his will. "Took y'all long enough to show up, huh? Where's the girls?" Leo asked. Percy and he had become fairly good friends since they started working at the Chase's together, but fuck the kid could run his mouth. Sometimes Percy had to resist clamping a hand down over it just to get some peace and quiet at work.

"They're inside already." Jason said, pointing a finger at the house. A brunette hopped out of another car and Jason's eyes followed her in, his face going completely slack and his eyes taking on that dopey look they always did whenever he saw Piper. "I - uh - Piper!" He yelled, almost tripping over himself. "Wait up!"

Frank snorted, "He is ridiculously in love with her." He said. Piper laughed as Jason approached her, giving him a cute little wave. Piper was pretty, with choppy hair that she always had in braids, eyes that you were never quite sure what color they were, but she wasn't really his type. She wasn't challenging, she didn't make him have to stay on his toes during the few conversations they had, she was a people pleaser, she didn't have that competitive streak that - that he usually liked.

Percy wasn't really planning on drinking a ton tonight, and he almost gave his beer back to Leo until he saw Annabeth and Luke headed off into the woods again together. He chugged his beer at the sight, threw the bottle on the ground, and said, "Another."

Leo laughed, "That's what I like to hear." He clapped him on the back, steering him towards the house. Percy allowed himself to be led through the parking lot, staring at the backs of the blonde couple until they were completely out of sight.

The inside of the abandoned house was filled with sweaty teens, dressed in cowboy boots, cutoffs or jeans, t-shirts or button downs for the boys and tank tops for the girls. The sight was no longer a surprise for Percy. He _expected _it now, no longer had to remind himself that the girls weren't going to be in sneakers, boys didn't wear their khaki shorts here.

It made him miss home even more.

His friends wandered off to their respective girls and Percy found himself missing the comfort, the familiarity of Rachel. They might not have had the best of relationships - or any relationship since it was completely one-sided and ended in a screaming match - but she had always been a crutch for him. When they went to a party, she was by his side. If he didn't find another girl to flirt with that night, or his friends were busy making out, he had her to talk to. In a weird way, she had almost been like his wingman - or woman, despite the fact that they had a long, on and off relationship going on.

Percy wandered aimlessly deeper into the house, noting the walls that threatened to crash in around them, the hum of the ground as the music blasted throughout the rooms. He spotted a girl in the kitchen, pouring herself a drink. She was alone and cute, with dark black hair like his but nice, hazel eyes that looked innocent.

Percy sauntered over, grabbing himself a red plastic cup and filling it with trashy beer from the keg. The girl glanced at him with a smile.

"You're the city kid, aren't you?" She asked before Percy could come up with a good pickup line. He looked at her in surprise before answering.

"I guess," He shrugged, taking a sip of the cheap beer. "Percy." He said, sticking out his hand for her to shake it.

"Mckenzie," She said, her hand firm. "Wanna dance?" She asked with a smirk, watching Percy try to hide a grin. He liked a girl who knew what she wanted, and if the night ended well Percy would also get what he came here for.

"Sure." He grabbed her hand and dragged her out to where kids were grinding and laughing to country music. He pushed between bodies, noticing Piper and Jason making out to his right somewhere. The girl Mckenzie was good, he noted, as he grabbed her hips and pulled her towards him. They stayed like that for a few minutes, maybe longer, maybe thirty minutes, he didn't know. Time always seemed to be nonexistent at parties, until it was 2 AM and suddenly everybody was rushing home. He was about to ask if she wanted to head to the bathroom or outside or wherever with him, when he spotted a whip of blonde hair running out of the house, a taller blonde following her.

Annabeth looked angry, or sad, he couldn't tell. Maybe both. Luke ran after her tugging on her arm and when she tried to pull away he wouldn't let go. Anger surged in Percy and he pushed Mckenzie off him, not knowing what he was doing or where he was going or why he was so worried about Annabeth fucking Chase, but he pushed past groups of horny teenagers and out the door into the cool summer air.

His head whipped around frantically looking for the couple but he heard voices before he saw them.

"Luke, stop." Annabeth hissed. "I just want to go home." They were to the right, on the backside of the house. Percy hesitated, because it _really _wasn't his place, but he couldn't help himself because Annabeth might be in trouble and - god, he needed to stop drinking so much.

"You're gonna leave us - Annabeth, we're not - you can't," Luke stuttered, slurring his words. They came into view as Percy rounded the corner. Annabeth stood pressed against the wall, arms crossed, face flush and red. Luke's fists were balled and he looked massively pissed off. Not heartbroken, not sad, but just _extremely _angry.

"Let me go." Annabeth insisted, trying to push him out of the way but Luke grabbed her arms and pinned them to the back of the house. Percy almost came out of hiding then, because the ball of anger in his chest was tight and he couldn't -

"No," Luke snarled. "You're not leaving, because you'll just come running back like last time. You can't be alone Annabeth. You _need me._" He stepped closer, caging her into the wall.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I don't, Luke. I don't need you anymore. _Please, _leave me alone."

Luke looked like he wanted to scream. "You-you _bitch." _He spit out. He raised his hand, and Percy watched as Annabeth's eyes flashed in fear and Luke's hand opened and his fingers slapped against Annabeth's tan cheek. She let out a yelp and then Percy came out of hiding and _what _was he doing but then he raised his own hand - he wasn't thinking, _couldn't _think - curled his fingers and - _Annabeth, _he thought as he caught her panicked eyes - punched Luke square in the nose.

**Enjoy! As always, let me know what you think. Stay safe out there and love you all.**

**-a**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Annabeth

Annabeth didn't even know Luke was going to be at this dumb party. She hadn't planned on breaking up with him that night, hadn't planned on even talking to him at all that night. She just needed a break, a chance to unwind, before having to deal with the repercussions of that night.

The last couple days had been hard - extremely hard. She made up excuses about how she was busy, or had lessons, or was going to help on the ranch a little extra that afternoon to avoid seeing him. He had seemed to buy it for a while, but he texted her that night like he always did, asking her where she was, who she was with. Thalia had always told her it was unhealthy, had tried to warn her but Annabeth ignored her - blinded, really, by Luke and his antics, the constant checking in, the whining, the guilt - she had no idea - why, did it take her so long to realize that he had been _controlling her. _In the back of her mind somewhere, she knew the logical term for it - grooming, emotional abuse. But to Annabeth, it was a sign of weakness, a sign of the fact that she couldn't take care of herself that she felt she _needed _Luke.

Her whole life, she had walked around in this delusion that she was strong and independent and smart and attractive and somebody everybody else wanted to be. Now, there was nobody else in the world she pitied more than herself.

She wondered what the others would say, at school, when Luke spun the story of their breakup. Telling them _she _was annoying, a cheater, a liar, an idiot, anything but the truth. There was no way anybody would listen to Annabeth. Luke had everybody spun around his calloused fingers, entwined like spider silk. They would listen to him, follow his lead. Just like Annabeth had her whole life.

Her whole miserable, disgusting life that she had wasted away with Luke fucking Castellan.

Thalia had made sure she wasn't going to miss the annual abandoned house party. Always the first weekend in June, it wasn't something any high schooler usually would miss for any reason but Luke seemed a pretty good reason to skip. Thalia had begged and begged and _begged _claiming it would be good for her, that Luke wouldn't be there because he had graduated, that it would be her chance to see how she didn't need him. So of course, Annabeth finally agreed.

It was probably the worst decision of her life. Or the best. She couldn't decide.

The party started out normal enough. She and Thalia got themselves a beer and ditched the boys which Annabeth was grateful for. She already had enough going on with Luke, she didn't need Percy there confusing her and making her head spin in a way that was _surely _from the pure disgust of being around him. He made her skin crawl and her stomach ache, and just the thought of him made her feel like she had to vomit. Thalia grabbed herself a beer and Annabeth a White Claw and they set off to find Piper and Hazel. Unfortunately, while making there way through the crowds of kids dancing, they ran into Luke.

"Annabeth!" He said with a drunk smile. "Didn't know you were going to be here."

Annabeth ground her teeth. "Yes, you did."

He took a drink of beer, wavering slightly on his feet. "Well," He shrugged. "Since you've been avoiding me I have to find other ways to see my girlfriend apparently."

Thalia took a step towards him, "Back off, Luke."

Luke snorted, "Like you're one to talk. You've been holding her back, Thalia, and you know it." Luke grasped her chin, twirling a thumb around her jawline. Annabeth tried hard not to shiver, to show fear. "Annabeth is beautiful, smart, _destined _for greater things. We could've ruled this school, this town, Annabeth." He said, his eyes drifting from Thalia back to Annabeth. "Thalia, though, is keeping you holed up in the horrifying cycle of Bridgeport. We, though, Annabeth can have it _all._ We can escape this town." He whispered, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. He was horrifyingly beautiful, but also the ugliest thing she had seen in her life and something clicked in Annabeth. She could do this.

She could be free of him.

The thought made her insides burn and her head spin and she felt strong for the first time in a long time. Thalia took another step towards Luke, but Annabeth put out an arm to hold her back. "Luke," Annabeth grinned, giving him a sickly sweet smile. He bought it, luckily, the alcohol most likely helping her. "Should we go outside. Talk, maybe?" She cocked her head, sticking out her hip.

Luke smirked. "Course," He said, throwing a knowing look towards Thalia who was vehemently protesting. Annabeth ignored her, though, taking Luke's wrist and leading him back out the front door. She was in _control, _she could do this, she could be done with him.

"How far do you wanna go?" He leaned down into her ear, breath smelling of beer, words slurred from the alcohol. "We can go all the way down to the creek, or stay here. It might be… fun, to be in danger of getting caught."

Annabeth tried not to vomit. Instead, she looked up with him with what she hoped were loving eyes instead of the disgust she was feeling. "Right here is fine," She said with a smile.

He grinned. "Great." He said, leaning down and closing his eyes.

She tried to cover up her laugh, the one that almost escaped her lips even though this wasn't a funny situation in _any way,_ before saying, "Right here is also a good place to break up."

His eyes shot open. "_Excuse me?" _He sputtered, reeling back.

"I'm done with you, Luke." She snarled. "I'm done with looking at you and you telling me what to do and you pretending to love me and the controlling and - and I'm just done."

"No," He insisted, his body frozen.

"No?" She asked incredulously. "No? You mean you had _no idea _this was coming. You've been controlling my life for the past three years - three fucking years Luke, and I am done with you - done with it, done with everybody around me seeing right through your act and me being the _only one _to fall for it."

"You don't know what you're talking about, what you're _saying," _Luke insisted, shaking his head violently.

"Yes, I do." She said, and despite the uncertainty of her entire life right now, this entire situation, she had never been more sure or stronger or in control of anything in her life. She was _Annabeth _again, the little girl she used to be, the one who was fearless and rode bareback at seven, the one who never let _anybody _control her, threatened to run away at any sign of pushback from her parents when they didn't let her do what she wanted. She took a deep breath, continuing, "I realized something, Luke. I don't love you. I never have. This entire relationship, if you can even call it that, was based on _you _wanting to control _me._" She pushed back on him, the tip of her finger digging into his chest. He stumbled, before quickly regaining his posture.

"You're never leaving me," He remarked, calmly - too calmly. "Annabeth, please." He sounded close to begging, but no - no, Luke Castellan would never beg.

"Enough," She stood firm. "This is _over,_" She reiterated, taking a step back from him. "I'm going home. Don't follow me." She watched him, eyeing his face one last time because however much she knew she needed to do this, however much she _wanted _to do this, but it hurt - it hurt and she hated how much it hurt her to see his eyes, to think about their kisses, to think about how this had all started. The smiles and smirks in middle school turning into those looks that ended in blushes to their first kiss behind the bleachers after a huge win when he was just a baby freshman.

Annabeth took one last look, committed him to memory then turned away. Her boots sunk in the mud, but she didn't hear the squelch of his shoes following her. _Good. _She reminded herself. This was what she wanted.

Thalia was there when she got back. Her best friend who knew this was going to happen, who might as well have been able to see the goddamn fucking future. Annabeth took the beer from her gratefully, gulping it down.

"Did you…?" She trailed off, her black hair in tangles down her back.

"Break up with him?" Annabeth's head spun but she tried to come across as nonchalant, like it was no big deal. "Yeah." She shrugged, reaching for the emergency pack of cigarettes she kept in her back pocket. She needed a release, a break from the stress, just a slight head rush, one to make the world pause for a minute.

Thalia breathed out a sigh of laughter, "You're kidding - I mean, Annabeth!" She laughed, outright again and lit both of their cigarettes for them. Thalia took a drag before continuing, smoke curling into her hair, "Annabeth, that's amazing!"

It wasn't amazing. It wasn't cool. She was _sad, _and it didn't matter how much anybody hated Luke, or how much she realized he was terrible, but after that whole ordeal all she was was empty. The party was barely there, just background noise. Thalia's voice, droning on and on and on about how _great _this was and how much _fun _they were going to have this summer was drowning, not quite reaching her ears before drifting into the music.

"Shut up," Annabeth whispered. Thalia didn't. "Shut - shut up!" She screamed this time, throwing her cigarette to the ground half gone, stamping on it and running out the door. She wasn't sure if Thalia followed her since the sounds of the party were still going on all around them, but she didn't care. She needed air - right _now - _or she surely would faint.

And then Luke was there all of a sudden, a violent, a fire in his eyes, one she had never seen before, one that _scared _her, and he was roughly grabbing her wrist, pulling on her and her throat constricted. He dragged her out the door, around the corner and she was sure he was going to hit her.

"Leave me alone," Annabeth pleaded, but his grip just strengthened.

"No," He snipped, "You're mine and you're not leaving here without me."

"No," She whimpered, sounding pathetic even to herself but she could feel the tears spring to her eyes involuntarily. "Luke, stop. I just want to go home."

He cornered her against the wall, pushing her back, cornering her, caging her in like an animal, "You're gonna leave us - Annabeth, we're not - you can't." He was slurring his words again, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. She swiped at it with her free hand, but the movement caused Luke to pin both her arms down. He was volatile like this, dangerous. He had always been an angry drunk, but that anger had never been directed at her. Now that it was, she saw why he ruled this dumb town in the first place - he _frightened _people.

"Let me go," She tried to insist again, fighting against his arms but his grip just tightened.

His eyes flickered at her fight, body tensed against hers. He hated it when she talked back, she _knew _that, she shouldn't push him right now. He opened his mouth, hot, alcohol infused breath spilling out onto her collarbone. "No," He snarled, "You're not leaving, because you'll just come running back like last time. You can't be alone Annabeth. You _need me._" He was close, too close, and Annabeth let out a strangled gasp holding back hot tears and then it all happened so fast.

"I don't, Luke. I don't need you anymore." She managed. His veins tightened. Adam apple bobbed uncomfortably. "_Please,_" She implored, pouring her emotions into the word. Somewhere, deep down, he had to care about her. Something inside him, _had _to have loved her during all these years.

It happened so fast. His tongue darted out, licking his lips before speaking. "You-you bitch." He rasped, his voice tight. His hand raised and she barely had time to duck before she heard the slap, registered the sharp sting on her cheek. Someone - _her - _let out a yelp. Her hand went to her cheek, the warmth slowly seeping into the injury.

Not two seconds later, Annabeth noticed the blur of black hair first, the wild, _harsh, _green eyes, ones she almost didn't believe belonged to him. And then another fist was raised, but no, not Luke's, because suddenly Luke was on the ground, blood pouring from his nose, the bones crooked, his face imperfect, _deformed. _

"Percy!" She screamed, and the tears spilled, creating wet spots in the dusty dirt surrounding the house. He raised his fist again at Luke, but she said his name again, implored him, to step away. Luke was down, Annabeth could see enough through her tears to know that. The alcohol plus Percy's strength was enough.

"Right," She heard him breath. His hand was on her wrist, then, not unlike Luke's minutes earlier, but gentler, circling her skin delicately but with urgency. "Let's get you out of here."

She nodded in numb agreement, allowing herself to be led vacantly through the parking lot, Percy dodging cars for them left and right, skipping around people who wanted to get a closer look. She was vaguely aware of Percy yelling at Jason to pass him the keys, telling Thalia he had one drink, they would be okay, stay here and clean up this mess. Annabeth shut her eyes, tightening them, not wanting to see another minute of this stupid party.

She was slightly more aware of the feeling of his hands on her hips, lifting her into the truck passenger seat. Annabeth slid into him as he climbed into the driver's seat, her head dropping to his shoulder.

"Don't worry," He murmured, maybe to himself, maybe for her. "I'm gonna get you home."

Annabeth didn't know if it was the night, or the year she had had, or how _genuine _Percy sounded, how caring his words were, how she realized that she had never felt that kind of concern from Luke in all three years of their relationship, but the spell broke and then she was sobbing. Ugly, big, heaving sobs of pain and distress and he didn't say a word. Stroked her hair, her knee, her wrist, but he let her cry and Annabeth had never been more appreciative of anything in her life.

**Okay, yes, Annabeth and Luke are officially over. There will obviously be aftermath to all of this because she was suffering a form of abuse which is no joke. I want to make her girlfriends the most supportive during this time, so although there is some slight Percabeth at the end here, it will be a lot of Piper and Hazel and Thalia. Which, will also be fun because we haven't seen a lot of the first two on her yet so I am excited! I also want to develop Percy's relationship with his dad a little more, and stabilize that slightly before they come together. So, there will be more Percabeth, I promise, but most likely in a few chapters not immediately. Anyways, this is a long A/N so I apologize. Love all of you, and review!**

**-a**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Percy

He had been lying when he told Thalia he had only had one drink, but the whole turn of events had completely sobered him up. Besides, he wasn't going to let anything happen to Annabeth and that thought alone was going to keep them from getting in a wreck.

Unfortunately, sobering up meant Percy became increasingly uncomfortable with the situation unfolding in front of him. Crying girls were not his… thing. Usually, this would be the time when he would find their friends for them and pass them off to go find somebody who was less emotional, but now all he wanted to do was… comfort her?

That couldn't be right. No. He hated Annabeth. Disliked her, at the very least. He had never, _ever, _had this dumb sense of caring, this ache in his chest when he saw her sobbing into his t-shirt. His ribcage fluttered and his neck tightened in a way that he was _not _okay with because no, no this wasn't happening with Annabeth Chase. She was annoying, and always right, and liked _books _and wore cowgirl boots and had frizzy tangled hair and overall not someone he wanted to hang out with or even just be around in general.

And then his hand was on her leg, her knee, her wrist, her hair and her… her skin, soft but rough, like she spent a lot of time outside, and raised goosebumps appeared wherever he touched her and he couldn't get _enough, _and he thought it had to be the alcohol. It had to, because there was no way these feelings were real.

Then, it also could have been Luke. It could have been pity. That was it, he decided, because it was much, _much _easier to come to terms with than the other ideas, the ones where his stomach ached and a flutter took place just below his navel and _no_, he refused that idea. It was pity. He had never understood Thalia and Jason's hate of Luke until tonight. He had always assumed it was some sort of petty thing on Thalia's part, Luke was more popular, Luke was better looking, maybe even Annabeth had gotten Luke, the two of them oblivious to Thalia's own feelings about him.

Now, though, Percy wondered… was that the first time Luke had hit her? The first time he had talked to her like that? Luke had always made his skin crawl, but Percy had always chalked it up to being some sort of territorial thing, like both he and Luke saw each other as a threat. Percy's internal radar might not have been so far off after all though.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he barely noticed them pulling into the Chase's drive, although now he was extremely aware of the idea that he knew these roads well now, he could drive them without thinking, there was _familiarity _here. There wasn't a ton of time to dwell on this terrifying new realization, since Annabeth was still next to him. Less sobbing, more sniffling which made the situation slightly less embarrassing for him.

"Annabeth?" He asked, as gently as possible. In reality, he probably sounded like the ass he always seemed to portray. "Do you think… is it okay to go inside?"

She gave the slightest shake of her head, his t-shirt shifting slightly, "No - I - my mom, she can't, she can never see me like this." She blubbered, her breaths coming in heaves as she tried to calm down. "I can't - please - please, don't make me," She pleaded, her breath spreading up, the hiccups coming faster between each breath.

_What kind of family did you have to have to not want them to see you crying_, he wanted to ask, but he settled on, "Okay, shh, okay," rubbing her shoulder to soothe her. The last thing he needed was more crying. "The back door?" He asked her.

She nodded, sitting up slightly so he could see just how puffy her eyes were. "That works," She said, her voice small. Percy got the feeling he wasn't doing what she wanted, but he wasn't sure what that was so he went with the back door idea. He turned off the headlights, gave a wide berth to the house and pulled up at the door that led to the second kitchen and a stairwell that would take her directly up to her bedroom. It was weird, at times, that he knew so much about this house when he had never actually been in it for anything other than work.

Percy got out of the truck, shutting the door silently before opening Annabeth's, taking her arm. She was shivering, shaking like she was having a seizure, like she couldn't get control of her own body. It was kind of scary, honestly, and Percy wondered if she needed to go to a hospital, if she was having some sort of psychotic break but then she opened her mouth.

"Are we gonna go in, or are you gonna stare at me all night?" She questioned. Her eyes were still red, her face was puffy, there was a tear running down her cheek, her mascara was all over her face and Percy's t-shirt, but she was there. She was still Annabeth, not having a psychotic break.

Percy cracked a smile, helping her out of the car. She didn't let go of his hand as she stared up at the huge wooden door in front of them. He waited for her to go inside, but she didn't. She just stood there, shivering in the cold wind that was whipping at them.

Percy shifted uncomfortably. "Uh… are you okay? I mean, sorry of course not, I just, I mean, do you want to leave or go up or I can open the door or -"

"Percy," Annabeth said, looking at him. Really looking at him, for the first time. Big, stormy grey eyes staring at him, no glare, no laughter, no _hate_. Just her, looking at him as if it was the first time she had ever really seen him. Which, maybe it was. "Walk me up?" She looked shy, averting her eyes immediately after she asked the question.

His body felt like it was melting into the ground, out of embarrassment or something else he didn't know, but he ignored it. "Of course," He said, letting go of her hand to open the door. The warmth left him immediately but he blamed the feeling on the cold night air.

The house was eerily quiet, although that was expected for one in the morning. Annabeth led the way, the night so dark that her body turned into a shadow as she disappeared one, two steps in front of him. The door to her room creaked open, revealing a place the size of his apartment back in Manhattan. His body instantly calmed when he walked in, the room a blend of whites and creams with fresh flowers on the windowsill that Annabeth had picked from her garden - he had watched her do it, her hair tied back in a braid a few afternoons ago. Percy ran a finger across her dresser, his index coming up completely dust free. There were candles strategically placed around the room, and a bed piled high with white and grey pillows sitting in the middle of the room.

Annabeth slipped off her boots and climbed in. She sat on top, shivering still but only slightly, hugging her knees to her chest. Percy was worried she might start crying again, but she just sat there in silence which was almost worse.

"Uh…" He trailed off. He wanted to run out of there, but he figured that wasn't the nicest or most compassionate thing to do. "Is there anything else you need?" He settled on, deciding that was the most neutral statement he could come up with.

She shook her head, "No," She said, looking up from her knees, "I-thank you, Percy," She said, mustering up a smile.

He returned the gesture, "It's no big deal," He said, backing up towards the exit, "But you're welcome, of course." His back hit the wall, and he turned to open the door when he heard her voice again.

"Wait," She called out. It was shaky, and Percy thought when he turned around she might be crying again but she looked… _nervous? _She winced when he made eye contact with her, sharply turning away. "I..." She breathed, then inhaled softly again, "Can you… I don't… fuck." She muttered, half-laughing, gesturing slightly to the spot next to her on the king sized bed.

"Stay the night?!" Percy said, more out of shock than anything, but she looked grateful that the words had come out of his mouth instead of hers.

She pulled the covers down and over her body before responding, "I'm worried he's going to - I don't know what he's going to do." She said, her eyes focused on her phone as she tapped away, most likely responding to a text from Thalia while simultaneously avoiding Percy's eyes.

It dawned on him that he really had no idea the extent of whatever abuse she had suffered, whatever had happened during that relationship. Annabeth was _scared. _Scared that Luke was going to show up at her house, drunk, maybe hit her again, he didn't know. Usually, Percy would have ran as far as he could when a girl asked him that. He would never, ever let a girl stay the night and his friends from home would have laughed at him if they could see him right now.

Percy kept his hand on the door, almost, _almost _turning the handle but her eyes were pleading with him and there was no way he was leaving her alone. He knew he wasn't going to be able to do it, so he stumbled over, slipped off his shoes and got under the covers with her. She visibly relaxed, allowing herself to slide down into the bed. Her body was still stiff as a board, hands folded neatly on top of the blanket, eyes open and staring at the ceiling.

Percy copied her actions, but he knew there was no way he was sleeping tonight. The number of times he had been with a girl before could have never prepared him for the sheer intimacy of just _being _there. They didn't touch, didn't do anything obviously but he was closer to her than any other girl he had been in the same bed with.

Annabeth eventually rolled over and curled up, facing away from Percy. He laid there, completely still, feeling totally awkward if he even moved an inch. Her breathing went soft, eventually turning into a quiet little hush. Percy relaxed slightly, assuming she was asleep before she said, "Don't touch me. I still don't like you." Despite the harsh words, there was nothing behind them and Percy laughed silently, turning on his side to face her back and closed his eyes. He didn't think he was tired, didn't think there was any way he was going to sleep tonight but within seconds he was drifting off, barely aware of the quiet snore coming from Annabeth's side.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP._

Unfortunately, that was the first thing Percy noticed when he woke up. The blaring of an alarm he didn't remember setting. The second thing he noticed was the room. It was unfamiliar, clean and white which was completely unlike the messy dark blue at his dad's house.

The third thing he noticed was the mess of blonde hair, curls tangled on the pillow. Her body was curled back into his, barely touching but they were - or had been - sharing pillow. He realized his wrist was resting gently on the dip between her hips and waist and he jerked it back violently, completely disgusted with himself.

_What _was he doing in bed with fucking Annabeth Chase?

She must have had the same thought because she let out an extremely loud scream before scrambling off the bed and almost tripping onto the floor.

"Okay," Percy muttered. "I didn't know my presence was that horrifying."

"Sorry," She gasped, "Sorry, sorry. I - you should go. That alarm was set for six so you could get out of here before - before my dad, my mom - uh, you know."

"Right." He ran a hand through his hair, sitting up in the bed. The events of last night were slowly coming back to him, which made the situation slightly less awkward. Uncomfortable still, yes, but at least he knew they didn't… you know.

"Back door, again." She said, putting a sweatshirt on over the skimpy tank top from last night. "I…"

He nodded, putting on his shoes, "Don't mention it."

She chewed her lip, looking at him carefully. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this." She said finally before opening the door for him signaling it was time to leave. He hesitated, he wanted to say something, anything but he couldn't form words to express whatever this weird thing was that he was feeling, this head rush, this concern, so he left it alone.

With another smile that he hoped said more than he could at the time, Percy left her room and went back out to Jason's truck who was most likely not too happy that Percy had stolen it although he thought Jason might understand.

He tried to push Annabeth out of his mind as he drove home, reminding himself that she had Thalia and Piper and they _knew _her. Annabeth needed them, not Percy to go running back up to her and… and what?

What exactly did he even plan on _doing? _Hugging her? Holding her? Punching Luke again? In reality, there was nothing he could do. So he kept driving home, sulking into the front door with a walk so tired you would've thought he was drunk.

"Is this a joke to you?" Percy froze. Poseidon's voice rang out from the living room, clearly extremely angry. His dad came into view as Percy rounded the corner, making Percy wince. Percy would've gladly ran back to the party and let Luke beat him up before he ever wanted to face his dad like this. Poseidon's face was tight, pinched up and there were bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept all night. It dawned on Percy that he might have been _up _all night, waiting for Percy to get home, his calls going straight to Percy's dead cellphone.

"Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" His dad demanded, stalking over to Percy. Percy was tall at 6'2 but his dad towered over him, a good three or four inches taller. It was intimidating, to say the least.

Percy shrank into himself. "I - I'm sorry?"

Poseidon sighed. "Sorry doesn't cut it, Percy Jackson. I've been up all night, calling you. We didn't…"

His dad was _worried. _About him. About Percy. Despite the whole night and the fact that he was in serious trouble, he wondered if he had been harder on his dad than he should have.

"Really, I'm sorry." Percy insisted, twisting his fingers nervously. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"You will," Poseidon agreed. "You're grounded. For a week."

"But -" Percy started to protest, but thought better of it.

"You're gonna go to your room. Take a nap because you're obviously exhausted. And when you come down, there's going to be chores to do." Poseidon insisted, but he sounded tired. There was less anger behind his words now, and more relief.

"Yes. Yeah," Percy said, hovering by the stairs. Poseidon waved him up, turning back towards the view of his ranch out the window.

"And Percy?" He called, not turning to face his son.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're home safe." Poseidon said, and although Percy couldn't see his expression or his face or eyes, his own lips broke out into a wide grin despite the severity of the situation.

**Helloooo again, thank y'all for the reviews! So, I am aware that there is a consistency error with Leo and Grover haha because originally Leo wasn't going to be in town and then he was so eventually I will go back and fix it but I am lazy and it probably won't happen for a while. I know I said there wasn't going to be a lot of Percabeth for a little, but I couldn't resist this chapter so I hope you guys enjoy. For real this time though, the next few chapters will be about the stuff I talked about in the last A/N**

**Also, another note. Somebody reviewed and asked if I will go back to the other stories I have posted on here. Honestly, probably not. I wrote them when I was younger and it would take too much editing to go back and fix. This story is kind of a replacement for Country Girl, just flipped. I might do an office one like Different Cities but it would be a completely different plot and rewritten. That being said, I do have another story started, a royalty take on obviously Percabeth. However, I'm going to finish this one before starting to post that. **

**Review as always! Love you **

**-a**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Annabeth

Annabeth was still in a haze of sleep when Percy left, unable to let herself believe that the previous night's encounters had even happened. She stumbled barefoot across her room, trembling hands tugging at the white linen curtains above her window bench, letting in the soft morning light. Shadows danced across the walls, and she could tell it was going to be less humid today when she opened the sticky window, which was a welcomed change. She didn't think she could deal with the repercussions of last night if the day was just as horrid.

Luke had been… expected. She knew she had a long way to go in terms of forgetting him, _forgiving _herself, but she had been wondering when he would touch her like that. When he would let down his pretty boy facade. Percy though…

Percy was an anomaly. An unexpected arrival in the thing they called life. She wondered, as she sank into the piles of pillows and blankets that adorned her window bench, if the events that had placed the two of them together had been… fate? No, Annabeth didn't believe in fate. A coincidence - a good one, but a coincidence all the same. Her mind wandered slightly to what might have happened to her if Percy hadn't been there, where Luke would have gone with her, but no - no, she couldn't _let _herself think about that, couldn't let herself go there because she knew as soon as she did she would burst into tears.

Annabeth tried not to feel awkward about what had happened after. She almost felt worse about that than Luke, since she could hardly avoid Percy in the same way. She had a good excuse for asking him to stay, one that she had been proud of herself for coming up with right then. And really, it was plausible - she _wasn't _sure what Luke was capable of, what he was going to do with the rest of that night. In the moment though, she had no idea why she called Percy back. She felt safe with him, maybe. He did make sure she got out of there, after all, drove her home. She didn't want to dwell on this too long either or she most likely would start crying over a different situation.

She eventually made it to the shower, scrubbing her body harshly, turning the water scalding hot. She wanted to wash every bit of Luke off her, wanted to stand here until every ounce of her was clean from him. Annabeth stood there for minutes, which turned into an hour, which turned into a call from Thalia. She ignored it, but another one came and she sighed, turning off the now cold water and wrapping herself in a peach colored towel.

"Annabeth?" Thalia answered frantically. Annabeth bit back a laugh, picturing her friend pacing her messy room briskly, biting the black nail polish off her hand that wasn't holding the phone.

"Hi, Thals." Annabeth sighed, sinking down on her bed again in just the towel, her wet hair dripping onto the sheets.

"Oh my gods, oh my gods. Are you okay? Are you - what do you need? Percy texted last night, said you were home so I didn't want to bother you, but - but oh my gods, Annabeth." Thalia rushed out, causing Annabeth to have to blink back tears - _again. _It was irritating, really, all these emotions.

"I'm… okay," She drawled. "You can come over, if you want?" Annabeth wanted her here, but she wasn't about to let her pride go, even now.

"Of course, oh my gods, of course." Thalia said, "Give me ten minutes. I'll call Piper and Hazel too."

"Sounds good." Annabeth whispered, hanging up the phone and getting dressed. Thalia arrived in seven minutes, barely after Annabeth had slipped on a flannel over a tank top and shorts. The girl wrapped the blonde in a hug, squeezing so tight Annabeth thought she might pass out but she couldn't bring herself to force Thalia to let go.

"Hi," Thalia breathed when she finally let go, and Annabeth was surprised to see her eyes shining as well. Annabeth smiled, genuinely for the first time in a while.

Piper and Hazel showed up shortly after Thalia, the four of them piled into Annabeth's room. Annabeth and Hazel occupied the bed, Thalia and Piper were sprawled on her window seat. It would have been a beautiful day. The scent of berries from the farm next door wafted in through the open window. The horses were loud, but happy. Her friends were tanned, dressed in summer clothes, honeyed eyes reflecting in the sun. Maybe on another day they would've been piling into a truck, flannels on over their bikinis, country music, windows rolled down. A girl's day, with ice cold slurpees from 7-Eleven, splashing in the river until the sun went down. A sleepover later, with rom-coms and giggles and boy talk and then at two am they would crash, waking up in the morning to do it all over again.

Now, though, they sat in silence, the other three not wanting to say the wrong thing, to upset Annabeth. Poor, fragile, Annabeth. She hated it. She didn't want to be that friend, the one that everybody secretly was relieved they weren't, the problematic one, the pitied one. It disgusted her.

Luckily, Piper wasn't one to be able to stay quiet long. "Do you want to talk about it?" The brunette asked, cocking her head up to where Annabeth was curled against Hazel.

Annabeth sat up, thankful _someone_ had broken the ice. "No." She said, honestly, because she didn't. She knew she should find a therapist, or somebody to talk to but these were her friends. She wanted to have _fun _with them. Right now, that was the best medicine she could think of. "I think… we should go get ice cream. And then go to the library so I can nerd out over books, which usually y'all hate but you can let me have my day. And then we can get a pizza and eat it and talk about anything other than Luke while we watch the sunset at the hill."

Thalia grinned, "I thought we were gonna have to spend all day in this room." She joked, and the girls laughed. It felt _good _to be with them. Annabeth realized it had been weeks, months even since the four of them had hung out without boys and Annabeth was reminded of how much she loved these people.

"I just want to feel like a normal girl today, okay?" Annabeth said, pulling on her boots.

Piper wrapped her in another hug. "Deal. We love you, though." She said, giving Annabeth a squeeze while she grabbed her keys.

Hazel nodded. "If you need anything, we're all here for you." The younger girl said to her. Hazel was only a year behind them, but you would've thought she was ten years older. Her chocolate skin and deep curls framed her face beautifully. She gave better advice than either Piper or Thalia and kept a more level head than anybody in their high school.

The four of them climbed into Piper's pickup. Annabeth's parents were out. Nice of them to care about where she was or what she was doing or how her day to day was going or why she got home at 1 AM last night.

Annabeth shook her head, clearing it of thoughts of her parents. The last thing she needed was to think about _that _lifelong trauma along with all of her current problems. Instead, she turned her focus to the whipping breeze as they rolled along the dirt road, the smell of the pines wafting into the stale truck, the sounds of her friends' terrible voices singing along to the radio.

They waited in line behind a few freshmen before getting their ice cream. It melted almost immediately in the summer air, but Annabeth didn't care. She chewed thoughtfully on a chunk of cookie dough as they walked to the library in town. It was a dusty old thing, with a boarded up window from when some teenagers had broken the glass and nobody had bothered to replace it. The librarian, Emily, sat at her desk, her gray hair done up in a ballet bun, her reading glasses perched on her narrow nose. Her face was sharp, bird-like and she wore a blue button up cardigan today, her chair settled between stacks of deteriorating books.

She glanced up at them when they entered, narrowing her eyes at the ice cream first, "No food or drink - oh. Annabeth, darling hello." She said, with a tight grimace. Annabeth had learned this was the way she expressed liking someone. If she yelled at you, that was dislike. "I haven't seen you in a while. Be careful with that." She looked pointedly at the melted ice cream that was dripping onto each of their hands.

"We will." Annabeth promised with her best smile. She finished off the ice cream, tossing the end of the cone into her mouth. Licking the excess off her wrist, she moved deeper in. It _had _been forever since she had been in here, she realized. A few shelves had been moved, a few books in different places than she remembered. She had spent so much of the last few months absorbed in Luke that she had completely lost everything else she loved in life. Her passions, her books, her drawings and architecture, her _goals. _She wondered how long it would be before she felt like herself again, less empty, more alive, excited to wake up every morning. She wondered if she would _ever _feel like that again.

Annabeth wandered around, for almost an hour. She could see the other three every once in a while, laughing in that way that only people who were extremely bored could do. The hushed giggling, finding everything funny. She loved them, though, for not rushing her. Allowing her to stay here as long as she wanted.

Piper interrupted her thoughts, passing her the oldest copy of the Iliad she had ever seen before. Most likely from the late 1800's, possibly slightly earlier. Annabeth took it gingerly, leafing through the dry pages. "Where did you find this?" Annabeth wondered aloud.

Piper pointed to a shelf in the back. "Over there. Somebody must have returned it or sold it here. You've never seen it before, have you?"

Annabeth shook her head, running a finger over a line someone had highlighted. "No." She closed it, gently. "Come on, we should get going. We've only got about an hour before sundown." She placed the book in front of Emily who examined it like she had never even seen it before.

"Take it," The old librarian crowed, passing her library card back to her without scanning it.

"I - no, somebody else should get to enjoy it after me." Annabeth protested.

Emily shook her head. "Nobody will appreciate it like you, sweetheart." Her southern accent drawled on the last syllable. "Besides, maybe it'll cheer you up,"

Annabeth gave her a soft smile. "Thanks," She said, drawing the book off the counter and hugging it to her chest. The four of them were back in the car, first to pick up Rudy's which was the only pizza place within an hour of their town, and then to their favorite place to watch the sunset.

They had never told the boy's about it. Not on purpose, really, but it had just kind of happened that way. The second time all four of them had hung out, barely two weeks after Hazel had moved to Bridgeport from Alaska, they were thirteen. Barely into the eighth grade, the four of them had been assigned the same homeroom. Thalia and Annabeth were already best friends, since birth practically. They had waltzed into that classroom, arm in arm, acting like they owned the place - which, they kind of did - and then they had met Piper. A fiery, bright, sparkling brunette who seemed to radiate life everywhere she went. Annabeth had been drawn to her character immediately and she had dragged Thalia to sit down next to her when they got there the first day. Then Hazel showed up. The complete opposite of Piper, yet just as captivating. The new kid, a year younger than them, had accidentally been assigned to the eight grade homeroom. Piper had called it fate, and the four of them had been best friends ever since.

They found the hill on a Saturday. After they got past the awkwardness of that first sleepover, the nerves about saying the wrong thing, they were acting like they had known each other forever during that one September weekend. They had climbed up here on accident, the last of the wildflowers still alive, swaying in the breeze as they watched the sun set. They sipped on Mexican Coke's, giggling about boys that they had just somehow noticed, laughing about the funny way their math teacher pronounced her O's.

Now, the wildflowers were in full bloom. Instead of Mexican Cokes, it was White Claw's. And instead of beat up Nike sneakers and colorful leggings, there were long, tan legs with denim shorts. But it was still the four of them, lying on their backs, passing a cigarette between each other until it was just a stub, staring up at the flashes of pinks and oranges and purples as the sun disappeared and painted the night sky.

Annabeth took the last drag of the cigarette, putting it out by crushing it into the ground, watching the last of the smoke curl up. She spoke, a second later, realizing they had been sitting in silence since they had gotten there and inhaled the pepperoni pizza. "Thank you guys," She said quietly, turning her head to face Piper, gray eyes finding brown.

Piper squeezed her hand. "Of course."

"No, seriously." Annabeth sniffled. She wasn't trying to get emotional, but she realized she hadn't gone 24 hours in the past week without crying. "You guys… you guys warned me, you know? And even after I didn't listen, I got myself into this mess, you're all… you're still with me. Here. You have no idea how much that means to me." They were sitting up now, and Hazel had come around to her other side, wrapping her small arm around Annabeth's athletic shoulders. Annabeth accepted the comfort leaning her head down on Hazel's shoulder.

"Annabeth, it wasn't your fault. Everything that happened with Luke, I mean. You know that, right?" Hazel murmured, stroking the blonde's hair.

"Yeah," Thalia agreed. "If that asshole ever comes near you again, call me." She threatened, and Annabeth laughed, shaking against Hazel's body.

Piper's hand came up, rubbing her back, "We love you, okay? We weren't ever going to leave you, Luke or not."

Annabeth smiled gratefully at all of them before laying back down in the grass the coolness brushing her back. The others followed her lead, leaning back to catch the last of the sunset. It was a dark reddish orange now, just a half crescent of the sun now visible.

She still felt empty. Maybe a little less, now, but she still felt as if a huge part of her life was missing. Of course, it was. Luke had been there for her since they were seven and eight, almost as long as Thalia. He had been there when she wore her hair in pigtails, seen the huge gap between her front teeth, stood up for her when she was made fun of at school for reading the "grownup books" in the third grade. As long as it had taken him to worm himself into the intricacies of her life, it would most likely take just as long for him to disappear from her mind, to have thoughts of him invading her everyday.

But it was okay, she decided. She had her friends, and that was _more _than enough love until it was time to move on. She squeezed Piper's hand again, watching as the sun disappeared behind the hill, the colors reflected in the eyes of her friends.

**Hellooooo, hope you guys had a good weekend/4th. Please enjoy Annabeth and her friends, I love them. Also revenge on Luke is coming, I just wanted to give Annabeth a "happy" break because she has really been going through it the last few chapters. Next chapter will be Percy and his dad and then we will get into the stuff the y'all are actually here for haha. **

**Please review, follow, favorite, it means a lot to me 3**

**-a**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Percy

Being grounded at Poseidon's house wasn't necessarily as bad as it sounded. Sure, it sucked not being able to hang out with his new friends who he had _just _started to actually enjoy being around, but the place was so massive that Percy could've spent every day of isolation exploring a whole new part that he had yet to discover.

In retrospect, a week wasn't that long. He had suffered much worse with his mom, two weeks, a month sometimes holed up in his Manhattan apartment, wandering around the house complaining without friends or video games to keep him entertained. Eventually, he usually got so bored and restless that he gave in and actually did his homework for once.

At least all of the chores and punishments gave him time to think. The day he got home, after a long nap, hot shower and a good breakfast, Poseidon had sent him out to the creek to repair a fence that an animal had chewed down to a stick. He tried to put Annabeth out of his mind, but he kept coming back to that unknown, that _unwelcome _pit in his stomach. She had been so… so _not _Annabeth that night, so soft and kind and thankful, so completely opposite to her usual hard, mysterious exterior, the harsh words that were so often uttered from her lips.

It occurred to him that maybe he had only gotten to know one side of Annabeth. The side she showed strangers or people she disliked, or _Percy _in this case. Maybe she didn't trust him enough before all this to be herself around him. The thought was oddly painful. They didn't know each other. Not really, anyways. They fought a lot, they hung out a lot but never alone. They had never had one meaningful conversation, so he couldn't blame Annabeth for not wanting to let down her guard around him. It wasn't like he was doing anything different around her.

Still, though. A part of him, the same part that convinced him to stay last night, wanted it to be different with her. _He _wanted to be different to her, for her.

He shook his head. What a silly, dumb thought. It was almost _romantic, _and Percy was not a romantic in any way.

The next day, it was six in the morning when his dad woke him up, told him the horses needed to be fed, the eggs needed to be collected and gave him a whole bunch of other chores that Poseidon had never actually done himself. Percy grumbled, pretending to fall out of bed because he was so tired but his dad didn't think it was that funny.

Realistically, Percy didn't mind the work on the ranch as much as he liked to portray. It was honest, hard work that made him sweat and ache but when he came into the house bone tired and ready to drop, there was always a huge feast of burgers and corn on the cob and coleslaw and chips and sweet tea every night and it almost made him feel completely renewed.

On his third night being grounded, Percy snuck a beer from the fridge in the garage and took a walk after his chores to the meadow he had discovered during his time stuck at home. If you walked down a trail through the forest about half a mile, there was a clearing just to the right. Tall grass blew in the wind that night, the breeze taking away the humid air that made the day stale and damp. There were a few bare patches of bluebells that swayed as well, but nothing compared to the bluebell's that grew down by the Chase's side of the creek. The thought made him miss his job there, even if his time off was just for the week. He had grown accustomed to seeing Leo and his other friends there, jumping in the creek to cool off and drying off everyday in the heat before they had to report back to Annabeth's dad.

Tonight, he had taken a chance and instead of walking had saddled up a horse, riding him slowly - _extremely _slowly - into the woods. But he got there alright, and after slipping down and tying Guido to a nearby tree he had an odd feeling that mirrored pride as he realized that he had done all that on his own for the first time. Taking the blanket that he had placed in the pack on the saddle and spreading it out on the ground, he settled in for the night with a Budlight and cigarette.

If you angled your body just right, and looked straight at a spot between the pine trees, the sun set directly between them. Tonight, it didn't disappoint. He cracked open his beer, perched back on his elbows, and watched the sun turn from yellow to orange to red until it was no more than a sliver of glowing light sinking behind the earth.

By the time he got home, he was starving. Dinner was over as it was almost nine, but he went to the fridge and grabbed some leftover spaghetti. Placing it in the microwave he waited until the ding went off, then grabbed a fork and stabbed it, shoving bites into his mouth to try and curb his hunger.

Barely paying attention to anything else other than his food, he had made it to the second step on the staircase when his father spoke.

"Perseus," Poseidon's voice boomed. Percy froze, turning slowly, a few noodles still hanging out of his mouth. Spaghetti sauce lingered on his chin and he wiped it quickly, feeling very subconscious all of a sudden.

Poseidon sat facing the fire, one leg crossed over the other, arms spread out on the back of the deeply browned leather couch. He looked ghostly in the amber light and Percy resisted from pinching himself. The past few weeks he had been going and going and going with friends, work, parties. He hadn't stopped to really think about the fact that he was here with his _dad _who he thought never wanted to see him - ever again.

A swell of anger appeared in Percy's chest, tightening the veins in his neck as he came and sat opposite his dad in a creamy upholstered armchair. His dad abandoned him - hated him, hated his mother, left them to live in poverty while Poseidon and Amphitrite partied with the A-listers in Manhattan.

Percy sank deeper into the chair, crossing his arms. Poseidon's eyes never strayed from the fire, the flames dancing in the green eyes that so similarly matched Percy's. Swirling and bright, a sea green almost that looked like the ocean and changed violently with each passing emotion.

"Did your mother ever tell you the reason I left?" His dad asked, eyes finally meeting Percy's.

Percy glared at him, "Because you decided we weren't good enough for your dumb lifestyle." He suggested, leaning back and trying to look half as intimidating as his father. He doubted it was working.

Poseidon gave a half smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. There were crinkles in the corners, like he smiled a lot. Percy wondered if he would end up with the same lines when he was older, live a happy enough life to have a smile imprinted on his face at all times. "No. No, of course not. I didn't want to leave you, honestly, but… your mother and I, we were dirt poor. College poor. My father was… not pleased," He sighed shifting on the couch, "to say the least, that I had gotten a girl pregnant in my junior year. Demanded I forget all about you two and run away from it if I wanted to keep my promised job at the family company."

Poseidon glanced at Percy, caution clear in his eyes. Percy wrung his hands nervously, but nodded for him to continue.

"I didn't want to. Leave, I mean. Your mom though, she thought it was a good idea. Said that she would be okay, being a single mom for a few years as long as she consistently got checks from my trust fund. Eventually, it was an unspoken idea that I would move in with you two, get to raise you as my own, but Sally and I, we weren't seriously dating, you know? She knew that the money was more useful than any company I could give her - and, I think there was a part of her that didn't trust me to stick around, leave her with no money _and_ no companionship."

"Which you did," Percy cut in, sharply.

Poseidon winced, "It was not my… finest moment." He said, glancing at Percy who gave him a wave of his hand to continue. "Anyways, so we did. I told my dad I was leaving you guys, and I sent checks to her, and she would send me a picture every once and awhile. She had moved back in with her uncle when you were a baby, and went to her local college in her hometown. We both graduated, and the plan was for her to move back to Manhattan and for me to go work at my dad's office and I could start seeing you more, but I got involved with a lot of alcohol. And drugs. And parties. And before I knew it I had blown your entire child support check on my drug problem, Percy."

Percy sat up a little straighter. This part, he had never heard.

"I'll save you the disgusting details of addiction, but the point is, I made a lot of mistakes. I'm clean now, obviously. Went in for rehab about a year after my problem started but I never…" He shook his head, regret obvious in his eyes, "I never went back to helping your mom. I met Amphitrite a couple weeks out of rehab, and she helped me stay sober. I thought about you guys all the time, honestly. Amphitrite didn't want kids, and I… I'll forever wish I could go back in time and change everything about that. I would've lived with your mother in a dirt, rat infested apartment if I could have raised you."

Percy felt hot. His head was spinning. He didn't know whether to be angry or sad or… he barely even knew if he felt anything besides an angry stir in his stomach. Poseidon looked expectant, like he wanted Percy to have something profound to say or he wanted them to have some sort of loving father son moment, but all Percy said was, "Am I supposed to feel bad for you?"

Poseidon winced again. "No, no of course not. What I did, Percy, there's no amount of apologizing or time that can make up for it. But, I know your mother sent you here because you were in trouble, but I had been calling her since that winter asking to see you. I want… I want us to know each other."

Percy shook his head, "You could never know me like mom does." He insisted, balling his fists. "You don't _deserve _to know me, to love me. You gave up that right when you walked away all those years ago."

Poseidon sent his eyes down to the floor, "Percy…" He sounded close to pleading. "I understand. But I also know we have a whole summer together. And I think it would be a whole lot more fun if we could get along."

Percy wanted to be mad. He really did. But somewhere deep down, he felt the same way. He had wanted a dad his _whole life, _and now here he was, saying he wanted to be a part of his life again, wanted to get to know him. Besides all that, Percy saw himself in Poseidon. The constant joking, the love of the ocean, the twinkle in his eyes whenever he was doing something he probably shouldn't do. The tanned skin, the sea green eyes, the broad chest and jet black hair. If Percy was honest with himself, he was the spitting image of his father. Not that he enjoyed thinking about that much, but the longer he sat here the more his anger disappeared. This was the most honest Poseidon had ever been with him, which is all Percy could ask for at this point.

"Okay," Percy decided simply.

"Okay?" Poseidon asked, his lips breaking into a cautious smile.

Percy shrugged. "Don't expect too much." He tried to sound nonchalant, but Percy was happy, for once. "But I don't really want to be sneaking around this house any longer to keep avoiding you either. Besides, none of my friends are interested in fishing so I might need somebody to go with." Percy hesitantly glanced at his father. The fire had dimmed considerably, the wood burned to almost ash but Poseidon's face suddenly looked clearer than it ever had. More human, less this… this mythical figure, this person that was always just out of reach. Percy's whole life he felt like Poseidon's face was fuzzy, like Percy could never see him, even when he concentrated. Now, though, Poseidon just seemed human. He seemed like his _dad. _

I'm not about to start listening to you, or anything." Percy added, trying to lighten a mood that was getting sappier by the minute.

Poseidon laughed. "You are my son after all."

Percy grinned. "Yeah, I am."

"We can go fishing." Poseidon started. "And riding and to the beach and play some football and," Poseidon was warming up now and Percy cut him off with a raised hand.

"Slow down," He said with a laugh. "One thing at a time, maybe."

Poseidon grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. Listen, why don't you go into town tomorrow. Get some service and call your mother. She's been wondering where you are."

Percy almost kicked himself. He had been so wrapped up in the last month here he had forgotten about his own _mother_.

"No friends." Poseidon warned. "But take the day off from the chores."

Percy gave him another smile. "Okay. I'm gonna head to bed then, it's been a pretty long day."

Poseidon nodded. "Sure. Goodnight, Percy."

Percy stood, stretching and popping out his shoulders. Halfway up the staircase, Percy paused. Before he could think better of it, he turned around, throwing a casual, "Goodnight, Dad." Over his shoulder. Poseidon's face stretched into a wide grin, which made Percy feel a little bit better about the rash decision. Hiding his own smile, he headed up to bed.

The next morning, Percy headed into town as soon as he could force himself to roll out of bed. He was a teenager, and ten AM was usually as early as he could manage if he didn't have anything to actually get up for. Poseidon was already out, him and Amphitrite at some obligation they had at the country club. His dad had left him a note though, a list of leftovers that were in the fridge for Percy to eat and a few things to pick up at the store. It ended with a smiley face and a _glad we talked _which made Percy smile.

He drove the thirty minutes to the village, the dusty road soon turning into paved as he rolled up in front of the coffee shop.

"Mornin', Percy," Hazel said with a wave, tying her apron behind her as if she had just clocked in. This morning, her hair was done up in a large ponytail, tight curls bouncing behind her back.

"Hazel," He gave her a smile in greeting. "Usual, please." He slid a five dollar bill on the counter, connecting his phone to the internet while he waited on the coffee. Thanking Hazel and reveling in the caffeine that surged through his body, he called his mom, walking back to the truck.

He idled with the AC on, the weather way too extreme to sit in a car without the air. His mom answered on the second ring.

"Percy!" Her excited voice rang in his ear, and Percy couldn't help but smile. He was a total mama's boy, even if he didn't always let most people see that.

"Hey, mom." He said casually, taking another sip of coffee. He watched another truck drive down the almost empty road, noting the familiarity but not being able to place it as it pulled into the grocery store just across the street.

"How are you?" His mom breathed, but Percy was officially distracted, watching the black truck.

"Good." Percy said, honestly. Despite all the shit that had gone down a few nights ago, his conversation with his dad last night had made him feel a slight bit better. "Dad and I we've been… well, getting along better lately."

"Dad?" His mom commented, and the smile was evident in his voice.

Percy blushed, glad she couldn't see him, "Don't read too much into that." Percy warned. "He's still a dick."

Sally laughed. "And how's everything else. You've met friends, hopefully?"

"Yeah," Percy said. "They're awesome, actually. Thalia and Jason have been nice, they introduced me to everybody. There's this girl, too…" He trailed off, unsure of why he was about to tell his mom about _Annabeth. _Maybe because she was so confusing, maybe because it dawned on him that that was Annabeth's truck, parked in front of the store and she was stepping out right then, blonde curls loose and hanging around an oversized t-shirt and denim shorts.

"A girl, huh?" Sally asked. "Well, I'm glad you're having a good time. And working, too I heard."

Percy didn't respond, distracted by the sight of her in very form hugging clothes and the fact that he was seeing her for the first time since that night.

"Percy?" His mom asked again, through the phone.

"Huh?" Percy asked, then realized she had been talking. "Oh, sorry. Listen, I'm sorry but I gotta go. I forgot I have to go… run an errand." He rushed out, turning off the engine and locking the car, walking over to the store. What was he _doing? _

"Uh-uh." His mom sounded unconvinced, but not angry. "Okay, Percy. Love you. Don't let it be three weeks before you call again."

Percy smiled, crossing the street. "I won't. Love you too." He hung up, shoving the phone in his back pocket before making the rash decision to enter the store. He pulled his dad's list out, giving him a legitimate reason to be in here in the first place, then set off to find Annabeth between the rows of canned food and their bleak selection of produce.

**Happy Wednesday, hope you guys enjoyed! This was a fun chapter to right, but I am even more excited for you guys to read next chapter. Anyways, I'll try to update before I go on vacation on Friday but it might not be until next week, sorry. See you later!**

**-a**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Annabeth

The last few days had been… hell, to say the least. Her emotions had bounced back and forth, settling on anger for a little, before transforming to sadness, and then warping into a sense of happiness at her newfound freedom until she lifted her phone to text Luke and _remembered_. And then she was back to sadness, which soon became anger, which turned into… until the whole cycle had repeated itself thirty times and she eventually got the relief of sleep for a few hours.

She had lovingly given her friends the obvious message they needed to go home that morning. She had woken up feeling slightly better, actually. A little more awake, as if she was seeing the world clearer. So with a little - hard, really - nudge, she pushed them out the door.

They had been unreal the past few days. Never leaving her side, going on long trail rides with the horses, taking hikes to see the sunset every night, drinking beers by the firepit at night, and generally just doing things a normal sixteen year old girl should be _doing. _But, she had to eventually face a day alone, and her parents - as oblivious as they were - would eventually wonder why they hadn't gone home once in seventy-two hours.

And there were also the ideas that the girls had dreamed up, the kind of ideas that only appeared at two am when you were all a little too drunk to even be _awake_, but eventually after forcing themselves to form coherent thoughts they had come up with some pretty solid plans to at least even the score with Luke. The thought made Annabeth smirk as she parked her pickup in the lot of the little grocery store that was in town. Her parents just needed a few things, marshmallows for the s'mores that frequented their summer nights and some other items they weren't able to get local. Most of their produce came from the two farms that were closest to them, and their meat and dairy was also just down the road from them. Some things, though, were just best store-bought - the bagels, for example, that the owner knew she liked so they put in a special order just for her from the bakery in Richmond.

Athena was getting ready to head out this morning, but she was glad to let Annabeth go in her place since the boys were refusing to put on their shoes and were threatening a food fight. Annabeth had hesitantly asked when she came down for breakfast, not sure why she had even thought it was a good idea. The drive was nice, the feeling of independence welcome after the last few days surrounded by people. She had meant to get in and out to avoid a sighting of Luke or his ridiculously stupid friends who were sure to be extremely rude to her if she saw any of them.

The humidity was back after a nice dry spell, and it blanketed Annabeth in stuffy heat when she stepped out of the car. She was in a tank top and running shorts, trying her best to be as close to naked as possible without actually offending anyone, but she still felt as if she were drowning in her own sweat. Despite her best efforts, her hair was sticking to the nape of her neck by the time she entered the weakly cooled store, and she swept it up into a ponytail.

She started for her bagels, noting she was the only one in here. It wasn't uncommon, for a Wednesday afternoon, but the feeling was always slightly eerie, especially when only the older man Eric was working here. He had always given her the creeps. Annabeth stopped short, finding the brand she liked and scanning them with her eyes, trying to find the kind that -

"Percy?" She breathed, head snapping up as she saw a flash of black hair out of the corner of her eye, not sure why she had just opened her mouth. It could have been anyone, really - hopefully, _hopefully _she had made a mistake, yes that must have been it, he wouldn't -

"Hey," He turned - _Percy _turned, hands stuffed in his jean pockets, face looking oddly sheepish for someone who was just going grocery shopping.

"Uh," Annabeth stumbled. She was blushing, which was extremely unlike her and she didn't enjoy the foreign feeling of her cheeks heating up. "What are you doing here?" She asked, a stupid, stupid question because - _duh - _what else did you do in a grocery store besides buy groceries?

He scrunched up his face, eyebrows drawn in and nose crinkled as if he was thinking of an… excuse? He reached into his back pocket, fumbling around and it dawned on her that her car was the only one in the parking lot and it wouldn't have been hard to deduce that she was in here. "Here," He pronounced triumphantly, shaking her out of her thoughts. He produced a crumpled sticky note, complete with a small grocery list on the back of it. Her heart dropped, because gods could she be more ridiculous, of course he was just here to buy groceries, what the _fuck _was wrong with her. She shouldn't have been able to have these thoughts, so soon after Luke, so soon after everything, but here she was fumbling over her words and blushing and thinking about how _good _his hair would feel tangled in her hands and _disappointed _that he wasn't just here to see her and -

"Annabeth?" He frowned, waving a hand in front of her face. She realized she had been staring blankly at him for the better part of a minute and before she could let him see her embarrassment _again, _she went stalking off in the other direction, turning away from him.

"Wait!" He called, jogging after her.

She turned on her heel, watching him visibly wince at her glare. Annabeth tried to tone it down, but it was next to impossible with the eyes she had been gifted - or cursed with, depending on how you looked at it. "Excuse me, but I'm just trying to shop for food." She snapped.

He stepped closer to her, the air suddenly heated again, his eyes not backing down from her intense glare. "Annabeth-" He faltered, the sudden burst of confidence she had seen in him suddenly falling, his eyes meeting the ground by her feet.

She sighed, almost pitying him, "What do you want?" She asked, backing a few steps away from him again because she couldn't _think _when he was that close, couldn't remember that she was in control.

He looked at her again, green eyes suddenly softer than they had just been a moment ago, "To talk?" He offered, the words more a question than anything.

Annabeth sighed. "About what?" She turned towards whatever was in the aisle next to her, suddenly becoming very interested in their selection of crackers - which was, admittedly, weak.

Percy looked frustrated, his eyes shining with something close to anger, but she knew he wasn't there _quite _yet. "About… what? About _what?_ How can you just go ignoring what happened that night? How - how _confusing _it all was - how confusing you were!" His voice was louder now, and all Annabeth could bring herself to think was that, yes, there was the anger, tight and thick in his voice as he yelled at her, and she didn't realize how much she _craved _this sort of excitement, this intense experience he gave her.

Annabeth fumed, turning to face him once again after picking up a box of Triscuits they didn't need just to look busy, "Sorry if I don't feel the need to go _explaining _myself to perfect strangers. I have _friends, _you know." She scoffed.

"Are you kidding?" He exploded, looking as if he wanted to rip his hair out or punch her or maybe both, "You _cannot _call me a stranger after that. That's - that's so totally unfair, Annabeth, and you know it." He snarled, but she was too focused on the way her name had fallen off his lips, harsh but complete, and she realized it was the first time she had ever really heard her name come from him, in that way where you pronounced every single syllable, the way you wanted somebody to _know _you were talking to them, thinking of them.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, starting off again into the store. Percy dutifully followed her, waiting for her to speak, "You're being ridiculous. We were drunk," She mentioned, trying to keep calm, keep the cool, nonchalant structure to her voice but it was so _fucking hard _around him, "It didn't mean anything. Besides," She said coolly, "If you think since that night I've been more worried about what you and I did versus my actual life blowing up than you are very, very mistaken Percy Jackson."

She watched him wince, the anger in his eyes melting, slowly. Maybe there was a semblance of hope for him if her words had gotten through.

"I-you're-" He stuttered, falling after her as she browsed down another aisle.

She held up a hand, "Save it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pay and get home. I have chores to do." She started off towards the registers, which were all self-serve here, but noticed Percy following her. She whipped around, expecting to yell at him to leave her alone, because _seriously, _but he was standing there staring uncomfortably at her and she couldn't bring herself to explode again.

He glanced awkwardly at his own basket, which was now filled with things that Annabeth hadn't even seen him pick up, "I'm not following you, promise," He said, putting up his hands in defense.

She felt her lips curl up in a smile, but pushed them back before she hoped he noticed. "Fine," She shook her head ruefully, hiding the remnants of the smile into her shoulder as she turned back to checking out.

He was unfortunately finished at about the same time as her, so they walked out of the store together into the harsh sunlight, Annabeth temporarily squinting as they came from the dark store. She pulled out her keys, hearing the familiar _chirp _of her truck.

"Look," He drawled, running a hand through his black strands, tugging on the ends. "I don't… we don't have to fight."

She looked at him expectantly, not sure what to say. Because if they weren't fighting, what were they going to do? Over the past few weeks, fighting had become her definitive reaction around him, this almost defensive mechanism but she wasn't sure against what. Percy wasn't dangerous, or even rude really unless you pushed his buttons just right - which, Annabeth had learned to do and it was usually very satisfactory when she wanted a good argument.

"Okay," She said simply. He looked frustrated, which pleased her. Getting under his skin had become a hobby she wasn't willing to give up just quite yet.

Besides, if they stopped this petty shit, she might just have to realize that the reason she liked being around him was because he made the area right below her stomach _feel _a certain way and there was no way she would ever admit that. So, she blindly followed the idea that she wanted to be around him _purely _so she could get the intense, angry, side of her out, an annoying trait that always seemed to follow her around no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it.

"I'm serious," He strained, a vein popping in his neck, "We have to see each other _every day. _We could at least be cordial."

She popped her head to the right, considering the thought. _Cordial. _She almost scoffed. The two of them, cordial? Agreeable? Acquaintances? Gods, the thought was laughable. They could never be that way, he must have known that. This kind of anger, the intense heat she experienced when she was around him, that couldn't have just been her. She saw the way his cheeks flushed whenever she took a step too close, whenever a pair of green eyes would drop to her lips when she was ranting about something that he wasn't particularly paying attention to.

So she decided on an answer. Albeit, not the one he wanted, but an answer. "No." She said simply, turning to drop her wallet into the car.

"No?" He asked incredulously. His mouth opened as if to go on, but she put up a finger, stopping him.

"No." She reiterated, simple but firm. She climbed into the driver's seat of her truck before continuing, one leg swinging out of the still open door, "We're not _cordial, _Percy." His own name tasted sugary on her lips, and she would gladly say it again, maybe breathe it, maybe moa-

No. His infuriated gaze was still on her, and she refocused. She didn't, _couldn't, _feel these things for him. No. It just wasn't _possible. _"We don't like each other." She enforced, for his sake and hers, hoping he couldn't hear the slight breathlessness in her voice after her previous thoughts, "_Dislike _is even a weak word. Besides, I just don't want to be." She said with a shrug, watching his muscles tighten as he frustrated even more. Good. They hated each other. That was the way it was supposed to be, not these ridiculous, school-girl crush feelings that had suddenly arisen lately.

"You don't - you don't _want _to be?" Percy's voice raised with each syllable, stepping closer to her, inside the door. She really wished he wouldn't, because it was hot again, his breath spilling over her curls as he towered over her and she felt as if she was about to melt and _not_ from the humidity. Why had she decided to sit down again? It definitely wasn't a power stance. "Gods, Annabeth, I'm trying! And you're sitting here being an absolute child about the whole situation." He fumed.

"_Excuse _me?" She growled, knowing, hoping, _wishing_, her glare was burning him now, because fuck was she mad. "You have no idea, Percy. No fucking idea what I've went through these past few weeks. No, Jesus, these past few _years. _Just because you were the one to find me, doesn't mean I want to suddenly confide in you, because I _don't._" She said, coming to her own realization - she had been in this relationship for three fucking years, and now she questioned whether any part of it had even be _real. _The tears sprang to the corner of her eyes, and her chin trembled, but she _wouldn't _cry right now, Percy could not see her this weak again, not after last weekend. "Just - just leave me alone," She spit out, tears still threatening to spill over.

He backed out of the doorway, thankfully taking the heat with him. Annabeth didn't stop to question that, but slammed the door shut, biting her bottom lip to control the shaking of her chin. She didn't hear him call after her. _Good. _She reminded herself, although the pit in her stomach suggested otherwise.

She flew out of the parking lot, the truck revving under the pressure of her foot. Before she could even make it to the single, blinking yellow light that was in town, the tears were pouring, the road blurring behind wet, silent cries.

**Hellooo! Promise, they're going to be happier - or at least, spending some different kind of time together haha - soon. Hope y'all loved it. I'm on vacation so idk when I will be able to update again but at the latest it will be end of next week. Please review, favorite, follow, it always means a lot!**

**-a**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Percy

Instead of spending his lovely Sunday morning sleeping in, eating bacon and pancakes, lounging around the house, watching Netflix - you know, typical morning activities - Percy was walking into a church building, shoving his hands uncomfortably into the khakis he was forced to put on by his father.

Most of the little break through he had with his dad had been good. They had gone out on the boat yesterday, and he had taught Percy how to fish which was something he had never had the opportunity to do. When he caught his first one, he had squealed like a little kid.

The sea glittered a sparkling blue as he dropped the catch back into the ocean, a splash appearing as the trout swam off again, unharmed. They spent the whole day out there, Poseidon allowing Percy a couple beers, the two of them sailing on the river and occasionally passing a few fisherman Poseidon seemed to know.

It was something he actually appreciated about small town life. The familiarity, the sweet hey y'alls as you walked down Main St. It made him feel less lonely, less out of place. Everybody was just _nice_. There wasn't usually an ulterior motive, or forced customer service like in the city. People were nice because they wanted to be.

However, the one downside to him and his dad getting along a little better was this whole _church _thing. Percy wasn't religious in any way. He had never even been in a church before, not even a touristy one. As far as he knew, his dad wasn't either but apparently it was just something everybody did in this tiny little town.

"Just think of it like… a social thing." Poseidon said, ushering him out the door after Amphitrite had already gotten in the car. "Besides, your cousins will be there too. It'll be fun."

Somehow, Percy doubted this statement.

The little white building would have been easy to miss in town if there wasn't every single car in Bridgeport pulled into the parking lot. People streamed in, all in nice pants and button downs, the girls in sundresses and heels. After a handshake with the pastor, who said he was "happy to finally see Percy here," to Poseidon,like Percy needed saving or some bullshit, they took their seats in an old wooden pew lined with wool blankets. The thing creaked as they sat down, Thalia and Jason suddenly appearing in the pew in front of them.

Thalia turned around, grinning, "Ready for a good time?" She asked, a knowing look in her startling blue eyes.

Jason turned, "Don't worry," He mentioned, waving a hand in the air, "One hour and then we're on our way to the diner for breakfast."

Percy's stomach grumbled at the mention of food. He wanted more than anything to ditch this completely uncomfortable situation, take his dad's truck and go get some coffee. He was seriously debating causing probably the scandal of this town's century by running out of this church. He turned in his seat, trying to judge how long it would take for him to get from here to there, but then _she _walked in.

Shit. Of course, she would be here. How dumb was he? Fucking _everbody _in this dumb town was here, ready to celebrate God like he was real or something. Like he would save all of their small town problems. Gods, how naive.

She laughed, gray eyes sparkling as she gave the pastor - who also happened to be the cattle rancher Percy had just bought their weekly supply from yesterday - a firm, hand shake, both of his hands enclosing hers in a loving gesture. She looked beautiful, in a blue sundress with her cowgirl boots that he had only seen before at the few parties they had been at. Her hair was smooth, any frizzy strands tamed down, her skin tanned and southern, a few faint freckles popping out on her cheeks.

_Fuck. _He turned back around, clasping his hands uncomfortably in front of him, willing her to go sit somewhere far away. He couldn't be thinking about her like that anyways. He was supposed to be mad at her, considering their last interaction. She had been completely unreasonable, acting like a total child the entire time. And yet…

Yet there had been a tiny - _tiny - _part of him that had wanted to press her up against the side of her truck and use a _different _tactic to shut her up besides words.

_Fuck._

She didn't go sit far away. Her family came and joined the Grace's in their pews, Annabeth sliding in next to Thalia so she was just to the left of his knee.

"Look who decided to join us," Thalia said, jerking a finger back at Percy.

Annabeth turned, her gray eyes losing whatever happiness had just been there. They were icy on him, and Percy hoped his glare was just as intimidating. He doubted it.

She hummed in disinterest, then turned back towards the little book they got when they walked in the door, pretending to be interested in it. Thalia sent her an odd look, but Percy just ignored her bad attitude. If she wanted to be a bitch, let her. Annabeth wasn't the only attractive girl in this town.

Church passed, and Percy tried his best to act like it wasn't the most horrendous hour of his life. He fought his way to the front of the place, angering quite a few elderly people in the process, and blew through the doors, breathing the fresh, church-free, air. His family joined him in a minute, Poseidon glancing at him disapprovingly. Luckily, his dad was distracted by Zeus before he could say anything else to him.

"So," Jason said, with Annabeth and Thalia in tow as they approached him. "Aunt Mae's or mexican?"

Annabeth gave something of a shudder, "Not Aunt Mae's."

Thalia glanced at her before something close to realization crossed her face and she put an arm around her best friend.

"Mexican good with you?" Thalia asked him, looking up from Annabeth.

Percy shrugged. "Sounds good."

"Jase, come on." Thalia said, tapping her brother on the shoulder. "We have to go ask Dad to take the car."

Too late, Percy realized this left him alone with Annabeth as the siblings wandered off through the crowd to find their dad. Percy shifted uncomfortably, and Annabeth still looked as if she had seen a ghost. He wondered how a breakfast place ran by the sweetest person ever could scare a person as intimidating as Annabeth, but he didn't dare ask.

"Why are you here?" Annabeth asked suddenly, her gaze turned sharply onto his, leaving the dusty ground.

Percy ground his teeth, "I don't know, Annabeth. Maybe because it's the only fucking church in this ridiculous hell hole."

She laughed, but it didn't reach her eyes, "Oh, so we're back to that now?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

Percy rolled his eyes, "If you mean back to hating this place, we never left that feeling."

Annabeth shook her head, "Sure, Percy." She said dejectedly, resigned, _tired._ She was… giving him a way to end this conversation. To end the fight before it ever started. To have a nice, civil Sunday. Isn't that what he wanted?

He should have… he should have let it go. He shouldn't push her -

"Maybe you just deluded yourself into thinking that." He offered. Annabeth's mouth turned into a frown, but before she could say anything else, he took a step closer. "Maybe you have your own… personal reasons for wanting me to enjoy my time here." He breathed, close enough now to feel the hot breaths her puffy lips pushed out each time she exhaled.

"Right," She scoffed, "You know, not every girl is as taken with you as you think." Annabeth took another step closer, challenging him.

"Really?" He cocked his head to the side, letting her breath spill over his neck now, goosebumps appearing involuntarily. "Cause your blush might be letting out some of your secrets just now."

She stiffened, her breath catching. "You're being absolutely ridiculous." She gasped, her chest heaving against the tight top of her dress.

"Am I?" He questioned. They were against a tree, protected from the sight of their families. Their lips were inches - no, centimeters - apart, and all he had to do was lean down, and maybe, _maybe_ he was imagining it but she was closer to him than a second ago, and -

"Guys!" Thalia announced her arrival before appearing, Percy jumping back from Annabeth, watching the breath she had been holding disappear from her mouth. Her eyes were wide, and she desperately tried to pat down the hair that had gotten tangled from being pushed up against the bark. Percy shoved his hands in the pockets of the tight, stiff khakis, trying to rearrange the slight problem that had appeared before Thalia noticed. Gods, all they had done was _talked. _

"He said we have to pick it up." Thalia said, rolling her eyes. "Something about _community _and being friendly by staying for the picnic brunch. So, you guys ready?"

Annabeth blew a stray curl out of her face, her eyes turning stormy, any effect Percy had had on her gone from recognition. "I'm not going anywhere with _him," _She announced, jerking her head in his direction, not even looking at him.

"Are you kidding me?" Percy snarled. "I haven't done anything to you. You're being completely unreasonable."

Annabeth sniffed, looking at her friend for support but Thalia just looked confused by the whole situation. "Fine." She said, rubbing her nose. "Y'all go without me, then."

"Annabeth," Thalia said. "Let's just take a breather,"

"No!" She said, turning on her friend now. "He's a complete asshole, and I am done hanging out with him."

"Okay, chill." Thalia put her hands up defensively. "Let's just -"

"All you've done since I got here is be a complete bitch to me," Percy complained, interrupting Thalia. He sounded whiny, but he didn't care. He couldn't believe that less than two minutes ago he had wanted to _kiss _this girl. Gods, what a terrifying thought.

Annabeth turned back to him, lips pressed in a thin, tight line. "Because you're absolutely insufferable."

"Okay…" Thalia glanced between the two of them, something between confusion and frustration flashing across her eyes. "Guess Jason and I will go get the food then." He heard her vaguely mutter before she turned to walk off, leaving the two of them fighting alone again.

"You only think that because I'm from the city." Percy returned, "And it's completely unfair."

"Don't be ridiculous." She seethed. "I would think you insufferable even if you _were _able to fit in here."

"Or, maybe you're just jealous." He mentioned, with a forced casual shrug of his shoulders.

He could tell he had struck a chord because her cheeks turned bright red, her eyes even more steely than before. She jutted a finger out at him, opening her mouth to speak, but she never got the chance.

There was a horrifying crash. A loud bang, which resulted in the entire church screaming in fear. The first thing Percy remembered were Annabeth's eyes, turning from that stormy gray into something else, something fearful. And then there was the smoke. Going up in plumes around the cars, one huge black truck crushed against a smaller red pickup.

"911!" He heard someone call out, but he couldn't be sure who.

And then another scream. One he knew, one that pulled at his heartstrings despite his forced thoughts of hate or anger towards the girl. "Thalia!" Annabeth screamed, her mouth in an O, her eyes bright and shiny in shock. Her hand found his, pulling him forward in the crowd, the two of them pushing through. The noise around them sounded far off, vacant and tinny, as if he was hearing it through a filter. The only thing that was clear to him was Annabeth's sobs as she tore through the crowd.

Percy realized they were too close after she had dragged him out into the middle of the intersection. Whatever little instinct he had left wrapped Annabeth in a bear hug, holding her back. She kicked at him, pummeled his arms, but he wasn't about to let go. Despite her pleas, if these cars blew… well, he sure as hell wasn't going to lose her along with his cousins.

The ambulance arrived, sirens blaring through all the noise. They pulled the passengers out. The guy was someone Percy didn't recognize, but the other two… Thalia's head was bloody, her head lolled to one side as they carried her on a stretcher. Annabeth had stopped resisting now, falling back onto Percy's chest, and he turned her head further in when she let out a heaving gasp at the sight of her friend. She buried herself in him as he watched Jason get pulled out of the car, looking less bloody but still unconscious.

He stood there with Annabeth, stroking her hair subconsciously, until the ambulance had long driven off and the sirens with it. He needed her just as much as she needed him, he realized, as he struggled to gain control of his voice again. "Let's go," He whispered into her curls, finally getting the words out. She nodded in agreement, and Percy got them both successfully to the truck, ignoring the calls of his father and starting towards the hospital.

**Hey y'all, back from vacation. I had a long plane ride today so I got this done. It's kind of short and I don't think it's my best haha but I wanted next chapter to be all from Annabeth's perspective so I ended it here. Hope everyone is staying safe out there! Next chapter should be out in a few days.**

**-a**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Annabeth

Annabeth huddled herself under Percy's jacket, shivering and biting her nails feverishly as if all her nervous ticks would fix something.

It was her fault. _Their fault. _If they hadn't been arguing, ignoring Thalia, if they had _just gone with them. _Maybe they would have left a second earlier. A second later. She could have seen the car, she could have…

What? Stepped on the brake from the backseat? Seen the drunken man running the red light before it even happened? Her own voice sounded unreasonable to even her own mind but she couldn't shake the sinking guilt that covered her, _blanketed _her.

Percy sat next to her, legs crossing and uncrossing as they both waited for news. All around her were sick people, families, kids, friends. The occasional cough echoed throughout the waiting room, a sniffle of a nose every once and awhile. When they first arrived, the nurses had been rushing down the dingy corridor, and when they opened a patient's door she could hear the flat line of the heart monitor. The whole place seemed to scream death and Annabeth couldn't stand it.

Annabeth shifted, pulling her legs under her in the small chair. They hadn't spoken since they got here, and Zeus was just making her annoyed, pacing up and down the halls, placing phone calls to random people she had never even heard of. There was a small window in the waiting room, and the sun shone through, casting a filter into the room that bounced off Percy's hair. It was a mess from him running his hands through it over and over, and she resisted the urge to fix it.

"They'll be okay," Percy muttered beside her, and she turned, surprised he had been the one to break their silence, but she soon realized he hadn't meant to say that out loud, hadn't meant for anyone to hear him. She wondered if he felt the same rushing guilt, if he had the same idea that they were _toxic. _They shouldn't be friends, let alone anything else.

And yet… she had been so close. To doing… well, something - anything, really, she would have done anything with him, pushed up against the tree, his hands so close to hers.

"Mr. Grace?" A nurse asked, appearing from the dark hallway with a clipboard in hand and a smile so fake it almost looked like she was wearing it. Zeus' head snapped up, and he immediately ended the call he was on with a tap of his finger and no goodbye. "We're ready to talk with you."

Annabeth stared at her best friend's dad, realizing she had never seen him like this before. Nervous, afraid, _scared. _He looked disheveled, his usual stony expression now replaced with something wild, something primal. The innate need to protect your children, the realization that you had _failed. _As much as Annabeth was hurting, she pitied him even more.

_We're ready to talk. _The nurse had said, she realized with a sinking heart. Not, _they're awake, _or _they're asking for you. _Just talking. An empty promise. A vacant statement, that showed no emotion, no hint as to whether they were doing okay, or unconscious, in a coma, or…

No. She wouldn't think the worst. She couldn't - shouldn't have to _live _without Thalia - she wouldn't be able to breathe in this suffocating town, without her lively best friend that made every exasperating day with the same hundred people a million times better.

She felt like she was drowning. Annabeth's eyes trailed after Zeus, vacantly staring at the way his shoulders had hunched over, like he was also trying to disappear, melt into the linoleum floor and not have to deal with the horrors the day had presented.

Annabeth grasped at anything, _anyone, _that could connect her to this world, to right now, because she wasn't sure she was going to make it alone here, without some form of contact. Her hand found the edge of the armchair, fingers going white as she gripped it so hard she lost any form of sense in her right arm. And then Percy's fingers, peeling her own violently off the chair, taking her hand in his, letting her fingers tighten around his own, her small palm engulfed in him.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to sob, over and over and over again until this was over and she could go back to pretending there wasn't a flame skirting up the inside of her wrist where he stroked her skin, goosebumps traveling up her arm, spreading into her heart, her head, she didn't _know_. She wanted to pretend that they weren't the cause of this, that they weren't so fucking toxic to everybody around him but she knew that was near impossible because if they hadn't been so fucking engrossed with themselves she would have - could have - no, would have noticed Thalia, would have gone with her, wouldn't have ignored her friend, could have _saved her. _

But she held onto his hand, dispelling these thoughts, holding on tight because it was her lifeline right now. Because she didn't know what to do if she _wasn't _holding his hand, but as his knuckles shook in her own she realized maybe she wasn't the only one in need of comfort right now, in need of realizing how fucking _good _it felt to touch each other, the reassurement that they were healthy and alive and strong in the midst of all this… this disease, the air of illness that wafted through the dingy building, permeated the stale air.

Zeus appeared again, looking slightly more put together wandering back into the waiting room. Annabeth bristled, her fingers quickly untangling themselves from Percy's as he made his way back over to the pair. "Any news?" She asked, surprising even herself at the soft composure in her voice.

He nodded, hesitating before finally saying, "Jason's awake."

Annabeth listened to Percy breathe a sigh of relief next to her, but she wasn't focused on Jason. She loved him, but the name she had wanted to hear was perched still on Zeus' lips, his mouth moving but unable to form a sentence.

"And?" She pressed, leaning forward anxiously in her seat.

Zeus looked down at his feet, an odd display of vulnerability in front of all these people. Annabeth tensed, expecting - waiting, _dreading _the worst. "She - she's-" He took another breath, steadying himself against the dirt colored wall opposite them. "Thalia's going into surgery."

Annabeth sucked in a breath, rubbing the palms of her hands into her eyes, smudging mascara down tear-stained cheeks. She felt Percy's hand on her lower back, rubbing soothing circles, but she could barely register it.

"What are…" Percy trailed off. He swallowed, hard, the movement vibrating through his whole body, before continuing, "The chances?" He asked vaguely.

"Good. Strong." Zeus' voice boomed, louder than before.

"Thalia's a fighter," Annabeth said, sitting up suddenly, the movement forcing Percy to take his hand off her. Good. She didn't need pity. She was done with that. If she couldn't be strong in her own life, she could at least get it together for Thalia. "She's the strongest person I know." Annabeth continued, giving Zeus a hard, determined glare.

Zeus gave her a sad smile, as if he had already come to terms with the thought of his daughter's life ending. "Yeah. She will." He affirmed, though the sentiment didn't reach his eyes.

It wasn't until a few hours later that they were allowed to see Jason. Annabeth had given herself a twenty minute nap because she could barely keep her eyes open. It most definitely had nothing to do with the fact that she was warmed under the lining of Percy's jacket and his shoulder was oddly comfortable for being as defined as it was.

Her alarm went off, but it was off as soon as it came. She had a suspicion that Percy had turned it off, but she couldn't dwell on it too long because sleep found her once again. It wasn't until a good hour later that Percy was shaking her, gently.

"Annabeth." He whispered into her curls, but she was already awake, her neck cramping in all the wrong places, back stiffly stuck in place.

"Hmm?" She hummed, sitting up. The reality of what had happened that day was still fresh in her mind, the nightmares she had just experienced even worse scenarios than sitting in the waiting room while your best friend went through surgery.

"The nurse said we could go see Jason." He stood, holding out a hand for her. She allowed herself to be drowsily pulled to her feet, swaying slightly as the dizziness of sleep expelled itself.

Percy still gripped her hand as they followed the expectant nurse - this one in purple scrubs instead of blue - down the hallway, weaving in and out of wards, the sounds of coughing and hacking surrounding them from all sides. Annabeth shivered. Percy looked down at her with a worried expression, but she waved him off. She wasn't weak, she just couldn't stand it here. The hallway seemed to swallow anything good, the sickly sweet smell of cleaning supplies and vomit was overwhelming in these narrow sections. When Thalia was given the all clear, she would be running out these doors.

Jason was in a huge room, not surprisingly considering who his dad was. The blinds were drawn, showcasing the town's Plaid Pantry and not far beyond that a couple farms that were visible from town. Piper was already there, holding his hand. Her cheeks were stained with tears, but she was laughing when they walked in, Jason most likely saying something ridiculous and dumb like he always did.

As soon as Piper saw her walk through the creaky door, she jumped up, wrapping her arms tightly around Annabeth's waist. Annabeth squeezed tight, thankful for somebody to lean on, somebody who didn't make her so confused.

"She'll be okay." Piper promised in her ear. All Annabeth could do was nod, biting back another round of tears.

When they finally broke away, Jason reached out, grasping her hand. Annabeth smiled softly at him as Percy moved back to allow her to sit next to him.

"Guy's alcohol level was 1.4" Jason muttered, shaking his head. "Fucking idiot." He said, a ghost of a smile on his lips, allowing the others to chuckle slightly. Although there was absolutely nothing funny about it, there was a certain breath that was allowed to be taken, a collective sigh as Jason lightened the mood.

Annabeth took his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Thalia should be out soon." She whispered. Jason locked eyes with her, giving her a reassuring smile. Jason, pale and injured, with a sprained wrist and concussion, laying on a hospital bed, was the most calm and comforting person in this room. She bit her lip, the stability of seeing him alive and well sinking into her blood, her bones. Thalia would make it.

The three of them sat around Jason, Zeus excusing himself sometime in the middle of the long hour they waited in there. They tried, hard, to talk about something, anything other than the accident or Thalia or her surgery but without those subjects there seemed to be nothing else. Annabeth glanced frantically up at the clock, counting down the minutes - no, seconds - until the nurse was supposed to come in, was _going _to give them good news.

It was three minutes and seventeen seconds before the time they had been given - 4:27 to be exact. The same nurse who had walked up to Zeus just a few hours before, came sauntering in, same fake, preppy smile gracing her lips.

"I just spoke to the father," The nurse started, pausing to lick her chapped lips before continuing. Annabeth wanted to snap at her, make her get to the point quicker, but she held her tongue, biting it harsh between her teeth. "Thalia will most likely make a full recovery. There was severe damage to the nerves in her legs, and some internal bleeding from the concussion but we managed to save both. She's resting, but y'all can come back tomorrow and visit her when she's awake."

By the time the nurse had said full recovery, Annabeth had pretty much tuned her out. _Full recovery, _her brain spelled out for her, repeating the words over and over until she finally realized. Thalia was okay. She was going to be there tomorrow, and the next day and Annabeth would get to hug her again. Her mouth dropped, her eyes shining down at Jason's.

Piper's squeal brought her back to reality, Annabeth watching as she threw her arms around Jason. Annabeth, in turn, hugged the closest person to her without thinking, that intoxicating smell of ocean and clean sheets and boy blanketing her. He hugged her back, his head resting in the crook of her neck. She could feel Percy smile against her, and her breath tugged in the back of her throat, catching before it spilled out over his shoulder.

"Uh - sorry," She said with a start, reeling back, because she shouldn't have been doing this - they were the reason the siblings were even in the hospital to begin with.

Percy's smile was shy, as if to brush it off, and even the slight mistake wasn't enough to stop Annabeth's smile from reappearing. She hugged Piper, then, this contact slightly more familiar and welcome, the two of them clinging onto each other.

It was late, barely past nine when her dad finally called her and told her she needed to come home. Annabeth protested, but she deserved a good sleep in her own bed. Besides, she couldn't see Thalia before tomorrow anyways.

"Do you need a ride?" Percy asked, the two of them standing under the ER entrance's overhang, the yellowing light flickering above them. His face was ghostly and pale, which wasn't surprising considering the day they had just experienced.

She shook her head slightly, feet scuffing at the cracked sidewalk. "My dad's on his way." Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper over the sirens that came around the corner.

"Okay," He said, undeterred by the hesitance in her tone. Or, maybe he just didn't notice. "Do you need a ride in the morning?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, unable to pretend she was civil anymore, "No." She snapped. "I do not need a ride from _you._"

"Jesus," Percy grumbled. "After today I thought…" He trailed off, leaving room for Annabeth to go and worsen the mood.

"Thought what?" She laughed, humorously. "That we were gonna be bff's after today? Seriously, grow _up_." Did he really not see what she saw? The problems they caused, the way that wherever they went, havoc ensued?

Percy shook his head, looking tired. It hurt her - no, embarrassed her, her cheeks turning pink, that he didn't have it in him to fight with her anymore. Because maybe she _was _being ridiculous, she was being a child, behaving like one at least. But she didn't know how else to _act _around him, because she was fairly sure if she let down this side of her she would end up doing something to the other extreme.

"Don't you get it?" She asked, the fight dissipating from her voice as her dad pulled into the parking lot. "We're the reason they're even in this stupid hospital." Annabeth said, making the statement without leaving him a chance to respond, swinging her bag over her shoulder and walking over to her dad. She tried not to look back at him, but found it impossible once she could see him in the side mirror. She watched him lift his head from the ground as her door slammed shut, watching their car until it disappeared down the county road, his eyes almost black. It wasn't until he was completely out of view that she allowed herself to relax, sinking back into the worn leather of the seat.

**Hope y'all have had a good Monday. IDK why but this chapter did not come easily to me haha so sorry if it's not the best. I just wanted to get something out and move on with the storyline. Hope you guys still enjoy, as always let me know what you think! **


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Percy

"Don't be silly," Thalia muttered harshly, her voice raspy. "This isn't your fault, Annabeth." Percy shouldn't have been eavesdropping, he knew that, but it was _so _easy when Annabeth had accidentally left the door open a crack when he had offered to give them some alone time.

Something that he offered after Annabeth had blatantly said, "Leave me alone."

Today was a disaster. Besides Thalia being okay, alive and talking with the same snarky attitude, he couldn't find anything else that was going good for him. He had asked Annabeth if she needed a ride, hoping to extend some sort of olive branch to the girl because whether she liked it or not they were going to be around each other for the rest of the summer. She had responded with a simple **No. **It was almost worse - no, it hurt more - than when she was screaming at him.

Then, he had run the truck through a pothole that was recently filled with rain, splashing him with the dirty water since all the windows were rolled down. When he finally made it to the hospital, he had a difficult time getting in to even see his cousin because apparently around here if you didn't have the same last name, you weren't family. Eventually, after multiple attempts to sweet talk the young nurses, he finally found one that fell for his charming smile and with an exaggerated eye roll, she dragged him down the hallway to Thalia's room.

He had to promise coffee at some point, but it was a minor inconvenience considering he had given the girl a wrong number.

When he eventually busted through the door an hour late, Thalia cracked a smile. "Classic." She said, her smile widening as he reached out to give her a hug as best he could when she was laying on the bed in three different casts.

Annabeth looked up at him, her expression blank and generally unimpressed. He did his best to ignore her, but it was harder than he had hoped for during the drive here. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, thoughts that floated through his head whenever he tried to sleep at night, but anytime he tried to scratch deeper than the surface with her, she ended up biting his head off. Or, maybe, he was just bad with words. He didn't know. Maybe, it didn't matter - if they were going to fight more than they talked, who cared who's fault it was?

He sighed, leaning back against the cold wall and rubbing his eyes, trying to shut out Thalia and Annabeth's conversation as best he could. He hadn't slept well last night, and he gladly accepted Piper's offer to go retrieve the self-serve, lukewarm coffee from the waiting room.

She returned a few minutes later, eyes bright and awake as if she had slept like a princess the night before. Of course, Percy had never seen her look bad in the few weeks he had been here. It didn't look as if she tried very hard, but there was never a hair out of place, her clothes perfectly ironed, her nails always painted a new color every few days, never chipped.

"Thalia will be okay," Piper said, passing him the bitter coffee. He took a grateful sip, nose wrinkling at the liquid that barely tasted edible.

Percy started, confused for a second as he realized that she was reassuring him, mistaking the stressed line imprinted on his forehead and the black under his eyes as a sign of worry for _Thalia. _He immediately felt guilty. Of course she would think that, since they were here about his cousin, not for his therapy lesson over a girl or something.

"Yeah." He finally responded, "Yeah, she will."

Piper raised an eyebrow at the delay. "Anything else?" She questioned, doubt flicking in her eyes and an expression that he couldn't quite make out. He could never quite decide on the color - today, they were brown, reflecting the dusty air that seemed to float through the hospital, never settling.

He had never felt particularly comfortable around Piper. The most he knew about her was that Jason liked her, and she was extremely pretty - though, admittedly, not his type. She made him nervous, not in the same way Annabeth did, but he always felt like Piper knew what he was thinking, like she could tell the way his skin tingled and his mind raced whenever Annabeth was around, as if Piper could read the disgusting thoughts that entered his mind when they argued. In a way, he figured she could. She seemed good at reading people.

"Just…" He started, not knowing where to go with that sentence, running a hand through his already messed up hair.

Piper took a drink of coffee, the sound of it filling the awkward silence. "Annabeth will come around. Just give her time." The fact that it was so _obvious _who he was talking about was embarrassing, a blush creeping up on his cheeks.

Percy narrowed his eyes at the rim of his cup, the white stained brown now. "Why does everybody assume I'm looking for her approval?"

Piper raised an eyebrow. "I never said you were." She licked her lips, hesitating before continuing. "Listen, there's a lot of things you don't understand."

"So everybody keeps telling me," Percy grumbled.

"Serious." Piper stressed. "One day, she'll tell you."

"I doubt that." Percy finished off the coffee, finally feeling the slightest of spikes run through his veins.

"She will." Piper promised, confident and sure of herself. "Right now, though, I'm not even sure she knows what to say."

Percy didn't respond. He doubted Annabeth would ever even speak to him again, let alone start sharing her deepest secrets with him. He wondered where Piper was getting her information, because it wasn't accurate in the least. He tossed his cup across the hallway at a trash can, making it perfectly before heading back into Thalia's room to go visit with his cousin.

-0-

After about thirty minutes - in which his cousin managed to deliver at _least _thirty insults, though he let them slide since she was currently on her almost deathbed - the three of them were kicked out because she had to take her meds and would subsequently be passing out. Piper had somehow convinced Annabeth to get in a car with him, but he figured that was mostly because neither of them had wanted to wait thirty minutes for their parents to get there.

"We should go do something." Piper announced from the back seat, bouncing up and down to the radio. "Cheer us up."

Annabeth crossed her arms, looking generally sour. "I'd rather not."

Percy watched Piper roll her eyes in the rearview mirror, "Don't be ridiculous." Annabeth's friend chastised. Percy was impressed by her bravery - Annabeth was _not _in a good mood. "It'll be fun. Percy, go to Annabeth's instead of dropping me off. We can go on a trail ride."

Annabeth looked conflicted, but Percy knew she couldn't say no to that offer. If there was anything he had learned about Annabeth, it was that she _loved _riding. He normally would have made a joke about being a horse girl, or hick stuff, but he thought back to what Piper had said and left it alone.

"Fine." Annabeth grumbled, turning her legs so they were as far as possible from Percy's.

Piper squealed, clapping her hands once before chattering away again, going on about the rest of the summer, what kind of backpack she was getting for the school year. Percy was glad she was there, despite his constant urge to be with Annabeth alone. She made things less awkward, filling the tension with her bubbly energy. She constantly interjected with comments on baby animals or pointing out the scenery on the way there, ignoring the dirty looks Annabeth shot at her everytime she spoke.

Percy saddled up Blackjack, who despite everything, Percy had actually started to enjoy his company. He thought he and the horse had kind of an understanding - Percy didn't know what he was doing, so Blackjack was much better behaved for him than anyone else. Maybe the horse felt bad that he had to put up with Annabeth for the better part of most days, so he took it easy on Percy.

Percy was feeling pretty proud of himself that he had gotten the saddle on all on his own, but Annabeth came over right before he got on, judging his work.

"This stirrup is too loose." She said, leaning down to fix it before heading back to her own horse. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, secretly grateful for her help because without it he would've spent the entire ride uncomfortable.

Piper had already trotted out of the barn, leaving the two of them literally in the dust.

Annabeth spit into the ground, huffing, "Gross," She complained, before following her friend. Percy went last, a little because he had convinced himself he was being a gentleman, mostly because he was the slowest.

The ride was pretty, he had to admit that. They took a different route this time than usual, winding around the backside of the creek and into a more shaded part of the forest which he was grateful for in this heat. Annabeth and Piper did most of the talking, chatting about insignificant things like school and the rest of the summer. Percy tuned them out, trying to focus on the chirp of birds in the trees, the rush of the creek in the distance. It calmed him, and god knows he needed that after the last couple days.

"Oh!" Piper said loudly, pulling tight on her horse's reins, making Percy have to fumble around with his own horse after he noticed she had stopped suddenly. "Oh my gods, you guys, I'm sorry." She said apologetically, but she didn't look extremely sorry when she gave Annabeth a smile. "My dad said I need to come home, he's on his way right now so I probably should head back."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Piper, giving her a glare that Percy had been on the receiving end of far too many times. "Is that a joke?" Annabeth asked, her voice dangerously slow.

Piper winced, as if even she could get scared of Annabeth sometimes. "No, sorry." She said, giving them a wave before breaking into a canter, her hair whipping behind her.

Percy swallowed. "Uh - we can - I mean, we can head back too." He stuttered. "If you want."

Annabeth sighed, picking at her cuticles and not meeting his eyes. "No." She said finally. Percy tried not to look surprised, but he figured he didn't do a very good job because Annabeth saw him flinch and cracked a sliver of a smile. "It's a nice day out." She added, her voice shy. "Besides, the horses need the exercise." She glanced down again, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Of course." Percy said, trying to stifle the grin that appeared on his lips at their first civil conversation in weeks.

They rode for a couple more minutes, Percy catching up to her and riding side by side. Annabeth shifted nervously in her saddle as Percy wracked his brain for something worth saying. Nice day? How's life? He couldn't come up with anything substantial, but was luckily saved when Annabeth decided to speak up.

"I doubt she actually had to go." Annabeth muttered.

Percy chuckled lightly, "I'm getting the idea this was a setup," He agreed, nodding slightly.

She cracked a smile, her cheek lifting as he glanced over at her cautiously, trying to gauge her response. "I'm gonna kill her," She said, shaking her head and making a finger gun in the air, but Percy didn't actually think she was that angry with Piper.

"So," Percy stated after another beat of awkward silence, breathing out his mouth in a little puff.

"So," Annabeth agreed sullenly. "Thalia said we're not allowed to fight anymore," She said, twirling the college ring she wore on a little gold chain.

Percy laughed, loudly this time. "I know." He said, thinking back to the conversation he had overheard earlier this morning.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes, turning slightly in her saddle to face him, anger suddenly seeping into her expression. "You what?"

He held up his hands in defense, before remembering he didn't know what he was doing on a horse and went back to holding on for dear life, "You left the door cracked," He finally said, and she turned back to stare at the open field they were approaching, her body slumping tiredly again.

"Sorry," She breathed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Just a habit." She said.

"S'all good." Percy muttered, clenching the saddlehorn. "Is there-" He started, but she cut him off, speaking over him.

"You wanna-" She stopped, realizing she had talked over him, and blushed.

"Sorry." They both said, which made Percy blush harder and nervously chuckle.

"Go ahead," He gestured with a wave of his hand. Gods, this was bad. It reminded him of a time he went on a date in his freshman year of high school. Of course, Annabeth was a lot cuter and just generally more exciting, but still - the same air of awkwardness was there, the same butterfly nerves in the pit of his stomach.

Annabeth bit her lip before continuing, the bundle of nerves traveling lower. So, maybe not like freshman year - at all. "We could go faster, if you want. I mean, if you're comfortable with it. I can help you."

He wasn't comfortable with it, but he wasn't about to let Annabeth know that. "Uh - sure." He said intelligently.

She laughed gently, which was nice to hear. It had been a while since he had heard her laugh genuinely in front of him. "It'll be okay. Promise." She said, kicking Lily into a trot to get ahead of Percy. She started to demonstrate, using her legs to move with the horse but Percy found the whole thing utterly distracting.

Her legs tensed, her hair blew in front of him, and her ass was tighter than he had remembered in the denim that she had picked out for the day. Which, yes, was a terrible thing to be looking at when she was trying to teach him how not to die, but he also was a teenage boy who was finding it harder and harder to ignore the churn in his lower stomach that always appeared whenever Annabeth was around.

"Okay, you wanna try?" She asked, placing a hand on the back of her saddle to turn and talk to him.

"Huh?" Percy asked, then shook his head. "Yeah. Yeah, sure, sorry."

She gave him a questioning look. "You okay?"

"Yep." He said, flashing her a thumbs up and what he hoped looked like a confident grin. What was he supposed to say? No, I wasn't listening because I was checking you out? The reaction to that was more likely to cause him death than trying out this whole trotting thing with zero instruction.

She didn't look convinced, but she turned around, edging Lily back into a trot. Percy gulped, kicked Blackjack lightly, and he picked up.

It was… bouncy. Annabeth made it look easy. She looked genuinely happy, and he figured she would be even happier if they broke into a run. Percy, on the other hand, was uncomfortable and scared. He bounced all over the place, held onto the saddlehorn for dear life and prayed to a God he didn't believe in. A million hours later, which was probably more like five minutes, Annabeth slowed. The look on his face must have been priceless, because she busted up laughing.

"Glad you find my misery so funny," He grumbled.

She grinned. "Again?"

He made a face. "Really?" He complained.

"Practice makes perfect."

Percy doubted he would ever enjoy this form of torture, but he urged Blackjack into a trot again, following Annabeth. It _was _slightly better this time, his body a little more used to the jerky motion. Besides, he would do this a million times over if it meant Annabeth wasn't annoyed with him anymore. He definitely enjoyed her smile more than that glare he had become so accustomed too.

**Happy Sunday, sorry this kinda took a while. I've been having a little bit of writer's block, but it's about to get easier. Hope y'all enjoyed this civil experience for the two of them. Yes, they will be getting along slightly better after this, but no the fighting is not done. ALSO, please expect some exciting chapters soon. They should be up in a few days, since I have a lot of it written.**

**Love y'all. Review!**

**-a**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Annabeth

"You're being ridiculous," Percy complained, but she knew he didn't really mean it.

Annabeth laughed, sitting up in the tall grass - or weeds, depending on how you looked at it. "Just a few?" She asked, referring to the pictures she had asked him to show her of New York City. Annabeth had jokingly told him that she had to know where somebody like him could have possibly been raised, but in truth she was more jealous than anything.

He looked up at her from his spot on the ground, arms tangled above his head. His eyes were thoughtful, scanning her face, hesitating over her lips. They had been doing this a lot - hanging out, just the two of them. It always ended with some sort of awkward moment. Either she said something just a little too flirty, or he would lean in a little too close, and then their moment of peace was over and he would clumsily leave, making weak excuses on his way out the door.

The last few days had been… interesting. After Piper had ditched them - which, Annabeth had ripped into her for - her and Percy's relationship _had _gotten better. Maybe she should be thanking the brunette instead of being mad. Percy had restarted his job at her property after being grounded, and everyday after his shift was over at four the two of them had hung out until dinner time.

It started with a hesitant invitation from her to go swimming in the creek. She had meant to extend an olive branch, wanting to show she was serious about a cordial friendship with him. He had accepted, and they had jumped in with all their clothes on, laughing like little kids.

The next night, she had promptly met him in the barn at the time he got off, watching from a distance as he finished up with the horses. He caught her eye, winking. "Like what you see?" He teased. The boy didn't lack for self confidence. She blushed, before taking control of the situation again.

"I planned on going on a hike tonight." She said primly, clasping her hands together in front of her dusty jeans. She had spent the latter of the day with Hazel and Piper, helping on their farms.

"If this is an invitation, it's a terrible one." He commented, but a smile in his eyes gave him away.

Tonight Annabeth had taken him out to a clearing about a half mile from the house where she usually liked to bring a book and relax. She had failed to mention to him that she had never brought anybody else here, not even Luke.

Percy sighed, giving in and pulling out his phone. "What do you wanna see?" He asked, opening the app and scrolling through his camera roll.

Annabeth flopped back onto the ground, this time on her stomach. "Like… the buildings?"

He tore his eyes away from the screen, "The buildings?" He asked.

"Yeah, like…" She took a breath, blushing, "Like the architecture." She said, not meeting his eyes.

He gave her a confused glance, but pulled up a few pictures of the streets there, the old and new architecture mixing together to form the narrow roads. "You're into architecture?" He asked quietly. They were close enough that he could have whispered and she would have heard, her head almost on his chest as she took in the lines of the apartments and high rises, all mixing to form the infamous skyline.

"Yeah." She breathed, flipping to another one. "I uh… I want to be one. When I grow up." She blushed harder, taking her eyes off the screen to find him staring intently at her. He smiled when he saw her glance at him, reaching up to brush a curl out of her face. She tried not to flinch. It was an innocent move, really, but it reminded her too much of Luke, of how he would do the exact same thing and then turn around and be an asshole five minutes later.

_Percy's not like that. _She reminded herself.

Annabeth flipped onto her back again, staring up at the sky. It was darkening, and looked like it might even start raining but she couldn't bring herself to mention this to Percy. She was enjoying herself way too much, despite her better judgement. The past action hadn't been a surprise, really. He had recently taken to touching her hair sometimes, or staring too long at her lips, or taking her hand when they would race home through the woods. She couldn't bring herself to reprimand him, and she doubted he was even aware he was doing it at all.

"Really?" He finally responded. The clouds moved faster, darkening. "I didn't - I mean, I would've never guessed."

She tried not to be annoyed by that, fingers twitching. "Yeah, well I do have other aspirations that go beyond living in the middle of fucking nowhere."

He seemed unbothered by the change in tone. "I never said you didn't." He said casually, twirling a blade of grass between his fingerblades before letting it go in the wind that had started to pick up. "I can picture it," He said, turning on his side to face her, head propped up by a hand tangled in his hair.

Annabeth found her heart beating unusually fast, but tried to ignore it. They had agreed to be _friends, _not - not whatever silly feelings were arising at the moment. She sighed, touching the nails Piper had painted pink yesterday after Annabeth had tried to convince her not to. "Sometimes I'm not sure I can anymore."

He paused, seemingly hesitant before responding, "Why?" He asked plainly. His gaze was on her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

She took a minute to respond, listening to thunder crackle in the distance. She knew they should probably move, but the thought of Percy leaving, going home for the night, it was too - too much, for somebody who up until very recently had decidedly hated the boy next to her.

_Why? _He had just asked. The question was simple, yet so complicated. For all the time they had spent together in the past couple days - mostly because the siblings were preoccupied in the hospital and everybody else had work - she had lacked the courage to share Luke with him. He had never brought it up, but she could tell he was always wondering. The question was in the undertone of every comment, every sentence. She assumed he was waiting for her, not wanting to start another screaming match with each other, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything - not yet - maybe not ever.

Before she could think of a good enough response, one that skirted around the truth, she was luckily interrupted by a fat droplet of rain, hitting her square on the nose. And then another, on the cheek. Two next, her wrist and the crown of her head. And then they came down, fast and hard, soaking her within a minute. Thunder boomed above them and she thought she saw lightning a few miles off. She scowled, glancing down at her now soaked jeans and t-shirt.

"We should -" She started, about to say they should leave with a grimace on her face, but before she could look over she heard Percy laugh, although she couldn't find what was so funny about the situation. She was wet and her jeans were starting to chafe and - and he had the audacity to laugh _again. _

Annabeth turned, fully prepared to glare at him in his lack of response to the current situation, but he laughed harder when he saw the expression on her face.

She scowled. He was - was laughing at her, and she didn't like it.

"Come on," He said with a grin. "We should get going." The ground next to them had turned to mud, and then there was another burst of thunder, closer this time.

"This isn't funny." She fumed, glaring at him as he rose to stand. "These storms can be dangerous, and we have no supplies, and -" She was cut off by his hand, offering his aid in standing on the muddy ground. She glanced at it cautiously, catching the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Annabeth took it, feeling his calloused hand wrap her own. She ignored the shiver that went down her wrist, but before she could think more on it, he was falling. She noticed too late, she couldn't tear her hand away in time, and she watched as he started laughing again mid fall, pulling her down with him. They landed with a splash, mud spattering her clothes and hair.

"Percy!" She meant to growl at him, but it came out as more of a squeal of surprise.

He was laughing sheepishly though, and her lips couldn't help but curl, and soon she was giggling, laughing, _with _him. It was an odd feeling, but she reveled in it for the time being. Another clap of thunder, shocked the two of them though, and she realized just how close they were, her chest touching his everytime she inhaled, her right leg slipping between his - no, no - they needed to go - this was - she could feel her cheeks heat up, could feel the rush of that - that _something _in her lower stomach. He seemed oblivious, but she rolled off him quickly, pushing herself up in a burst of frantic energy.

He looked up at her, eyebrows knit in confusion, in disappointment.

She couldn't take it, looking away and biting out, "We should go." She started off towards the trail back to the house, but heard him scrambling to get up, to follow.

"Sorry," He breathed as he caught up, "I didn't - I mean, it was just fun. Sorry I pulled you down though."

Annabeth bit her lip. Like she gave a shit about that. A shower and some hot tea would fix a little mud. At least he was completely unaware of her inner turmoil, still bumbling on and on about how hopefully she wasn't hurt or something.

"I'm fine," She finally said, silencing him. "Seriously. It's alright." She tried to give him a smile, and although she thought it came out more as a grimace he seemed to accept that she meant it.

They walked mostly in silence, and as he pulled away from her house, giving her a wave and a smile, the idea came to her.

-0-

"Percy," She said, as soon as Piper picked up the phone.

Piper stuttered. "What?" The brunette asked, but Annabeth had already started talking over her.

"The _idea,_" Annabeth stressed, impatient. "The idea we came up with on the hill. I think we should use Percy."

"Oh," Piper said, and Annabeth could hear her frown. "Annabeth, I don't -"

"It's perfect." Annabeth said, settling into the pillows on her bed, having changed into an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of ratty shorts. "_He's _perfect. We've been getting along recently, so it'll be easy."

"Annabeth," Piper sighed, "the idea was to flirt with a guy, maybe bring him to party, make Luke jealous. It was _not _included that we would fuck up somebody else's life in the process."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're overreacting. Percy won't care."

"Right," Piper drawled. "So you're gonna tell him what the plan is?"

Annabeth didn't respond, just picked at a loose string on her sheets. "He won't…" She finally spoke, "It's not like he…"

"Is into you?" Piper snapped back. "Yeah, sure."

"Don't be silly." Annabeth sniffed. "There's no way he does - we just got over tearing eachother's throats out a few days ago."

"Whatever. I'll help you because you're my best friend still, but when this all blows up in your face…" Piper warned.

"Right," Annabeth said cheerily, barely listening to anything after _I'll help. _"You'll tell me I told you so."

**Hey y'all, sorry this took longer than my other updates. It's also very short, but I had a ton written and wanted to split it into two so I broke it up here. Next one will definitely be longer. I started a new story called Olympia so go check that out if you want. Updates should be every other one so if you read that then you'll get more I guess haha. Anyways, the next chapter to this should be out within the week. Hope you guys enjoyed, review and all that as always!**

**-a**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Annabeth

"Do you think they would let us order margaritas?" Piper questioned, squeezing a lemon into her water.

Leo scoffed. "We've been going here since we were babies." He responded. "That's a definite no, unless they want our parents taking away their liquor license."

Piper rolled her eyes. "I don't know, maybe if I pulled my shirt low enough."

Annabeth shot her friend a look. "We're just here to eat." She reminded. "There will be plenty of beer at the bonfire tonight."

Piper sighed, but didn't broach the topic any longer. Instead, she kept glancing at Annabeth with a disapproving look. If Percy wasn't so oblivious, it wouldn't have taken much to figure out something was off.

Her and her friends were seated at the long, rectangular table in the middle of the town's mexican restaurant that Friday night, like they did most Friday night's before heading to the creek for a bonfire. They hadn't in a while though, mostly because _he _came on Friday night's too. Annabeth used to go with him, of course, arms linked, hands intertwined, looking like the perfect small town couple.

She almost laughed at the thought. They had been anything but.

Annabeth had slid into the booth next to Percy, who looked slightly surprised she had decided to sit next to him, since they hadn't really said anything about spending the last week together. It wasn't that they had really _meant _to keep it a secret, but when everybody knew you hated each other it was hard to admit you might have been acting a little ridiculous.

Of course, Percy didn't know the real reason she had forced herself into the spot next to him.

Annabeth fidgeted in the seat next to him, twisting the stack of gold rings Piper had insisted on her wearing that night. She wasn't generally a huge fan of jewelry, but Piper usually had some sort of new necklace or earrings for Annabeth to try on.

"You okay?" Percy asked, his voice dropping to a whisper as laughter and conversation raged on around them. He was glancing over at her, enough concern written all over his face for a strong pang of guilt to hit her. Maybe he wasn't as oblivious as she had originally thought.

She gave him a wavering smile, hoping it was convincing enough. "Yeah. Just tired."

He gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her, but dropped it when Frank asked if he was free to come over tomorrow and play video games with Jason and Leo.

"We'll probably order a pizza. And fuck around." Leo offered, giving Percy a grin.

"And generally try to make Jason feel like a real human again." Frank finished.

Percy nodded. "I'm in. What time?"

Annabeth's thoughts didn't stay around long enough to catch the end of that conversation. Instead, her gaze flickered to the clock on the wall, watching the long hand turn painfully slow as it neared closer and closer to seven. They always showed up at seven. _Always. _

Twenty minutes after they were showered and ready from football practice. And although football might not be happening _now, _people in this town were creatures of habit. Him and his ugly friends would be here at seven.

_Four minutes. _She thought, trying to not break out in sweat. This was a disaster - an awful, terrible, disgusting idea. What had she been _thinking?_

She glanced over at Percy, his face broken out into a wide grin, hands gesturing wildly as he told some story - probably one she wasn't in, she thought bitterly. She couldn't hear him - why couldn't she hear them? - the sound around her fading as she took him in. Annabeth had no idea how she hadn't realized how… how full of life he was, how his green eyes brightened when he was the center of attention, how his black hair that desperately needed a haircut was always falling in his face, how he was… he was -

He was _beautiful_.

She sucked in a large breath, loud enough for him to give her a weird look as conversation chattered again, whatever he was saying long over.

"Percy," She breathed, gripping his hand tightly under the table. He looked shocked, but didn't pull away. "Percy," She tried again, struggling to find the words. All Annabeth knew was that they had to get out of here - she had to get _him _out of here.

"We have to - you - we need to -" She stumbled over herself again, Percy's face growing in concern with each syllable.

"Annabeth?" He asked, his hand reaching up to brush a curl away, but stopping himself. She almost sobbed at the gesture.

If she… if she couldn't get the words out, she could drag him out of here. She pulled on his hand, starting to stand up when - _shit._

The bells above the door jingled happily as Luke walked in. First, of course, followed by five of his worst friends.

Annabeth's chest tightened. She couldn't - wouldn't breathe. She was gasping for breath, and felt each one harder and harder to inhale. Percy was gripping her hand harder, his eyes searching hers.  
She barely heard him utter one word, "Breathe."

It wasn't seeing Luke, though. No, that wasn't the problem.

She had taken Percy here willingly, wanting to push him in Luke's face like a fucking _toy. _

Annabeth tried to brace herself. The only thing keeping her from passing out was the sheer embarrassment of doing that in front of Luke. Instead, she calmed her face not five seconds after they walked in, steadied her breath and shook off Percy's hand, giving him an _I'm fine _glare.

One of the guy's - Ethan - whistled at the sight of Annabeth, her and Percy's hands suspiciously under the table where they had been entangled just a few seconds ago.

"Looks like your girl found herself another little piece of shit to fuck around with." Ethan snarled, eyes focused on the small distance that the two of them sat apart.

Piper sighed, pressing her napkin tight in her hands. "Ethan, shut up." She said, her voice calmer than Annabeth's would have been. "Go get a beer - oh, wait - you've already had ten by now."

"You little -" Ethan started, sauntering over to their table, but Luke pulled him back. Ethan grumbled, but he knew his place. The five idiots Luke had brought with him went to sit at their normal table as Luke set his eyes on Annabeth with a chilling grin.

Annabeth steeled herself as he neared, as he grabbed a seat from a nearby table, swinging it around so his legs were wrapped around the chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"So," He drawled. "The rumors were true."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, trying to look indifferent. "Rumors and facts are two different things, Luke."

"Hm." He said, casually. Too casually. "Looks to me like you two are getting pretty cozy."

Annabeth shrugged. "Maybe." She said. The look Percy threw her was enough for her to know that he knew what she was trying to do now. Why she had _insisted _after weeks of avoiding this place, to eat dinner here tonight. The others sat still around the table, not wanting to get involved. Honestly, she didn't blame them.

"Mhmm." Luke hummed. "Well, I could give him some pointers, you know. We were together for three years." Percy stiffened beside her, but Annabeth tried to remain relaxed.

She scoffed. "Yes, Luke. I'm sure everyone here would like to know about how you _couldn't _get me off."

Luke's cheeks turned a bright red, and Annabeth almost smiled. At least she had struck a nerve. "Really?" He started again. "I mean, as I recall you were into interesting things. I wonder if Percy knows how rough you like it."

Annabeth's eyes grew wide, not expecting that response. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She made frantic eye contact with Piper across the table, but she looked just as stunned as Annabeth.

"I mean, there were some times… the handcuffs, the -" Luke stopped, bringing his hands up around his neck in a crude gesture.

Annabeth was burning red, from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her neck. She could see his friends, snickering, laughing at her. They - they _knew. _He had told them all about this - these private things, their private _life_. She sucked in another breath, her stomach churning. She was - she was going to vomit - she needed -

"Enough." Percy snarled, speaking up from her left where he had been quiet the entire time.

"Oh, look!" Luke laughed humoressly as Percy stood. Annabeth was still frozen, her hands twisting her napkin into shreds. "The boyfriends' gonna -"

There was a loud crunch as Percy's fist connected with Luke's jaw. Luke stumbled off the chair, but before he had a chance to get back up, Percy hit him again, knocking his head against the floor. Blood pooled by Luke's lip, and Percy's arm drew back again and -

"Percy!" She heard herself call out, surprisingly, pulling out of her seat and grabbing his arm in midair, his skin slapping her fingers from the force. Percy twisted to look at her, the vile look in his eyes softening as her eyes found his. "Stop." She said, quieter this time. "Let's go."

He tore his wrist from her, and Annabeth was afraid he was going to go back to throwing punches but he just stood, one foot still on Luke's chest. "Don't _ever _talk to her like that again." He snarled, before grabbing Annabeth's wrist and dragging her out of the restaurant before he could get swarmed by the rest of Luke's friends.

"Percy!" She called after him as he dropped her wrist from his hand, stalking ahead of her to his truck. Annabeth rubbed the raw skin on her arm, looking down to see a red circle appearing.

"I'll drive you home." He stated bitterly. Another stab of guilt hit her, knowing that part of his anger right now was directed to her.

"I didn't -" She stuttered, cutting herself off. Didn't what? Didn't completely set that whole situation up? Didn't _ask _for it? She might as well have begged at Luke's front door, begged him to come humiliate her in front of the entire town.

Annabeth opened her own door, Percy not bothering to get it for her - a first, she realized with a sinking heart.

He started it up, turning the key aggressively and gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. He flew out of the parking lot, turning the car fast enough that Annabeth had to hold on to the door. She wanted to say something, but she was afraid if she did they would get in an accident.

So she sat there, hands folded primly in her lap, ankles crossed, looking bitterly down at her red chipped nail polish. Percy's driving relaxed but his demeanor didn't and it wasn't until they were pulling into her driveway twenty minutes later that he finally spoke.

"You knew." It was a statement, not a question.

Annabeth gulped. "I didn't - I had no idea it was going to turn out like _that._"

Percy shook his head, foot tapping frantically against the car floor. He opened the door a second later, climbing out of the truck and stalking towards her house. She almost tripped over herself, falling after him.

"Percy, wait!" She called out again. She could feel tears threatening to fall but she couldn't let him see that. She didn't want a fucking pity party. She didn't _deserve _a pity party.

"But you - you - was this last week just a game to you? A sick joke? A way to get back at Luke?" He said, turning around and giving her a violent glare. But it wasn't the anger that made her wish she never would have asked him to hold up. It was the underlying sadness, the quiver of his own lips that made a tear spill over her eyelashes. Her chin trembled, and she found it almost impossible to speak, but she couldn't let him think that.

"No!" She protested, stomping her foot like a little kid. "Of course not, Percy. I - I _liked _spending time with you - I-"

"But it was a convenient opportunity." He stated again, kicking the dirt. "Two birds with one stone, kinda thing?" He asked, looking up at her again.

He was right. "I'm sorry." She muttered, but it wasn't good enough. It was pathetic, really, but she couldn't think of anything else to say - there _wasn't _anything else to say.

They stood there for a minute, her staring at her feet, him staring at her. Then he turned again, threw open the door and took the back staircase up to her room. She followed him, unsure why he was even in her house right now.

"What are you doing?" She asked. The stairs turned and he glanced down to look at her.

"Making sure you're okay." He said plainly. As if it were the most simple thing in the world. There was still anger in his words, but it slowly disappearing.

She blinked. "What?"

Percy sighed, opening her bedroom door for her. He didn't respond, instead piling her pillows on her bench and pulling back the sheets for her. She stood in the doorway, mouth chewing on an already ripped nail, watching him as he disappeared into her bathroom and turned on the shower. She listened to the water splash on the tile, and the steam starting to curl out of the door.

"So are you?" He asked plainly, returning from the bathroom. Upon her blank stare, he refigured the sentence. "Are you alright?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, completely unsure of what to say. "I - nobody's ever done this kind of thing for me." She blurted out.

Percy blushed. His previous anger was replaced by something worse - disappointment. It made Annabeth's heart hurt. "Yeah, well," He shrugged, kicking off his shoes. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that. Even ones who are as frustrating as you." He said with a smirk, but she could tell he didn't mean it. The corners of his mouth turned upwards as he struggled not to smile at the half-hearted joke, and she gave him a soft smile in return. They would be fine. It might take a few more apologies, but at least he wasn't still violently mad at her.

"I'll wait for you." He said, dropping the smile. "Just to be sure you don't need anything else."

She blushed, but didn't protest. Gods, the thought of her parents coming up here and finding _Percy _on her bed… she pushed the thought out of her head. The chances of them bothering to see her were slim. "Percy." She said suddenly, turning in the bathroom door to face him. He had propped himself up on her bed, eyes closed as he leaned back with his arms behind his head. "Why are you here?" She asked, the words spilling out of her before she could stop herself.

She wasn't sure why she asked him that… but - but she needed to hear him _say _it, she needed validation for the ache she felt in her chest around him, the goosebumps that raised on her arm when he had touched her wrist earlier that night, needed to hear that she wasn't alone in this - this unknown, this _feeling. _

He opened one eye, staring at her, looking tense despite his relaxed posture. "Because, Annabeth." He said, closing his eyes again. "I care about you."

Annabeth was suddenly glad his eyes were closed when something low in her stomach stirred and a blush so deep it spread far below her neck.

**Hi y'all sorry for the long wait. Wanted to do a second chapter in Annabeth's perspective, but next will be Percy. Don't have a ton of excuses for where I've been but I've been packing for college and moving into a new apt so it's been kinda crazy lately. Anyways, it won't be that long before the next chapter but if you guys are ever wondering what the progress update is, just PM me! Hope y'all enjoyed this one.**

-a


	19. Chapter 19

Percy

Chapter 19

Percy fished his phone out of his pocket, sending off a quick text to his dad as he reclined comfortably against one of Annabeth's pillows - a cream colored one, with a knit weave running through it.

_Staying at a friend's tonight. _Percy sent, a thumbs up appearing on his phone barely ten seconds later. Percy winced at the lie, but deemed it necessary. He doubted Poseidon would be very happy to hear that he was at Annabeth's, not Jason's or Leo's.

To be fair, it's not like she _wasn't _a friend. She was, in a way. In a lot of other ways, though, she wasn't anywhere near that title.

He groaned audibly, listening to the soft patter of the shower hitting the floor, dreading the moment that sound disappeared and she walked out. He should - he should leave, go, let her be alone. It's probably what she wanted anyways. There was no way Annabeth wanted his pity, the concern that he had tried to keep from lacing his voice.

But he was - concerned, that is. Luke had said… disgusting things. Vile, awful things about her. In front of everybody, no less. And the broken look in her eyes was enough for him to pause a second when he had been so angry at her. Percy wasn't angry at Annabeth, not really. Sure, it had been kind of irritating that she had purposely paraded Percy like a toy in front of Luke, but how could he stay mad at her after the show Luke had displayed for everybody?

He sighed again, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes. The water shut off, and he could hear her soft footsteps as she dried off and changed. Everything in him was telling him to run, that this could only end poorly for the two of them, but he couldn't bring himself to get off her bed. He kept his eyes closed, though, wanting to avoid her initial stare that was sure to be harsh and unwelcoming.

The bathroom door clicked open, and he could _feel _her gaze on him and he couldn't - he should keep his eyes shut, pretend he was asleep - but he opened them, expecting to find the angry girl he had become so accustomed to, the one who consistently shut him out. Instead, her eyes shone with something he couldn't read. She wasn't angry, frustrated, irritated. She looked almost blank, her eyes taking him in but not seeing him. Her rims were tinged red, like she had spent most of her shower crying, and the thought made Percy want to land five more punches on Luke.

"You're still here." She commented quietly, finally moving from the doorframe she had been leaning casually against. Her hair was dripping wet behind her back against an oversized t-shirt that hit just at her thigh. Percy had a feeling she wasn't wearing anything underneath, but he shoved that thought forcefully out of his mind.

He shrugged, trying to seem casual about the situation as he sat up in her bed. "I said I would be."

Her eyes met him again from across her room as she threw her dirty clothes in a laundry basket. "Yes, but…" She trailed off, that same blank look on her face. "I didn't think you actually were going too."

A flickering of pain appeared in his stomach. It occurred to him that she might not have ever had _anybody _stay. And then another part of him blushed, the part that he tried so hard to shove down around her, the part that screamed attachment and commitment at him, scary things he had never let himself even fathom around a girl.

He pushed those thoughts aside, scooting over in the bed to make more room for her. "Do you want me to go?" He asked, eyeing her wary gaze as she stood over the bed, chewing her lip.

Annabeth shook her head. "No." She decided, and crawled under the covers, facing away from him. He watched the rise and fall of her stomach, the slope of her hip that was raised under the covers, the t-shirt that was sliding off her visible shoulder, the sharp rise of her tanned collarbone peeking out at him. And then he rolled on his back, trying to avoid the cold shower he was going to need if he kept staring at _that. _

It didn't help though, so he just sighed and readjusted the covers. He wanted to say something - anything, but he really didn't have anything to say. "I-" He started, then stopped, realizing there were no words to come after that. She didn't respond though, didn't give him one of those weird looks or an eye roll so he figured she was asleep.

"Goodnight." He decided on, his voice barely a whisper. It wasn't until it had been silent for at least half an hour - in which he couldn't for the life of him find sleep - that he heard the shaky breath she exhaled, the quiver of her body as she lifted her hands to her face. Percy rolled over, and before he could think better of it, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her hips closer to him.

Annabeth didn't say anything, just took her own hand and wrapped it around his, pushing her body back until they were entangled. Percy, with a mouthful of Annabeth's lemon hair, was asleep within minutes.

-0-

Percy didn't stay long in the morning. Actually, he didn't stay at all, which he felt kind of like an ass for. He _was _an ass, but that didn't mean he wanted to be one.

It had been almost eleven by the time he had stirred, the mental exhaustion from last night causing him to sleep in. Annabeth still slept soundly before him, her head curled around their interlocked hands, breath spilling out onto his fingertips -

"Kid," The bartender snapped impatiently, fingers drumming on the counter. "What'll it be?" He asked. Percy didn't know why he was in such a hurry. There was only one other guy in here, a hitchhiker.

Great. That was apparently the kind of company Percy was now hanging around with on a Saturday morning.

"Bud." Percy responded.

"You old enough?" He asked, looking severely skeptical.

"That say twenty one to you?" Percy knew he shouldn't act so irritated, especially when he was showing this guy a fake that said he was from the suburbs of San Francisco.

The bartender snorted. "Ain't nobody in these parts from San Francisco, kid. Cop comes in here, blames on you and your California bullshit."

Percy shrugged. "Fair enough." He had driven out - east, from Bridgeport, needing air, needing a - a break. He texted his dad, letting him know he was okay, and then he had found himself in this dingy truck stop shithole of a town. The bar was called Two Moons, but he didn't know the name of the actual town.

He took the first beer, downed it, then ordered another.

The bartender frowned at him again. "Good looking guy your age shouldn't be here on a Saturday mornin'. Where ya from, anyways?"

"New York." Percy said, taking the second beer a little slower.

"City?"

"Yep." Percy replied.

The dude whistled. "Jesus, kid. What're ya doin' here?"

"I'm living over in Bridgeport for the summer." Percy finished the second. The guy brought him a third. "My mom shipped me off to live with my dad."

"What'd you do?" The bartender asked, grabbing another beer for the hitchhiker.

Percy shrugged. "Girls. Partying. Drugs. I don't know - I just pissed her off."

"What're you sittin' here for?" He asked, hesitating as he waited for Percy's answer before he brought the guy another drink.

Percy glanced sullenly down at his drink. "Girls, I guess. A girl." He added.

The bartender raised his eyebrow, gave the drink to the other man and came back behind the bar. "Sounds to me then that you shouldn't be sitting here on your ass, sulking about it."

Percy gave him a glare, but his heart wasn't in it. "Maybe not."

"Girls are somethin', let me tell ya," He said, shaking his head as he cleaned up a spilled drink. "But you find the right one -" He paused, pointing a weathered finger at Percy, "She'll make you a man. You hear me?"

Percy just looked at him. "I hear you." He said. And then he stood, throwing down a twenty for the drinks and headed back out to his truck.

-0-

Percy soon realized he wasn't in any shape to drive. The road slightly blurred, red lights seemed nonexistent and he had already been honked at once for almost swerving into the other lane. So he pulled off the highway, taking a two lane backroad home. It would take him twenty minutes longer, but at least he was only in danger of killing himself, not others.

He passed the county line, marked with a dull green sign that read _Welcome to Bridgeport! Glad to have ya. _And then he hit the slums. Dingy houses with ratty animals out front. He passed one property with an older woman smoking a cigarette. When she saw Percy's eyes on her, she flipped him the middle finger. Another house, this one with peeling blue paint. Two kids in the front yard were playing with a rifle, their father drinking - or downing - a beer in the window.

He thought of Piper and Leo and all his friends who lived over here. He hadn't actually ever driven through or even really thought much of it, but the difference was eye opening. He wondered how the town had gotten this segregated, how these people had ended up with such different lives. Annabeth probably knew, but she probably was never talking to him again after he had up and left this morning without a word. Something had changed between them last night and it was making his insides churn and his head spin and he didn't like it. He focused on heading home, taking corners a little too fast in an effort to distance himself from this other world.

Percy _meant _to go home. Drove right there… and then drove past it, down the road and to the blinking yellow at the intersection. Took a left, and ended up screeching his truck tires on the dusty road that led up to the Chase's barn.

He hopped out, leaving his keys in the ignition. This was stupid. This was… reckless - what was he even going to say to her?

He looked first in the barn, but all he saw was her upstart little brother. "Any idea where Annabeth is?" Percy asked. He didn't know which kid it was.

The boy turned, his blonde hair flopping in the wind. "Who's askin'?"

Percy tried not to roll his eyes. "Percy. I work here. So where is she?"

"Do you actually?" The kid - Matthew, Percy decided, based on the freckle on his cheek that Annabeth had once pointed out when he was confused - was pissing him off. "Or are you Annabeth's new boyfriend? Because Dad always says she hangs out with boys too much so if you don't actually-"

"I _do _work here." Percy ground out. "Where's Annabeth?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Sure. She's out at the west end of the property. By that tree she likes I think. South side of the river."

Percy nodded in thanks, grabbing a saddle for Blackjack.

"The farmhands aren't supposed to take our horses though. Are you even on the clock?" Matthew questioned.

Percy audibly groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets, bringing out a wallet. "Here. Ten bucks and you keep your mouth shut. Go buy yourself ice cream or something."

Matthew stared at it. "Cool!" He said happily, and left the barn.

Percy finished up with Blackjack. He ran into the bunkhouse to grab his hat, glancing at one of the gross pictures the guys had up in here. This girl was blonde, with a cowgirl hat and her tits were spilling out of the piece of cloth she had on. Her eyes were so light they could have been gray.

Percy ripped it to shreds, threw it in the trash and kicked Blackjack into a canter as he left the barn.

It took him a few tries to find the "tree" Matthew had so loosely mentioned. First, his sense of direction wasn't nearly as good as he thought it was because he went Northwest instead of South. When he reached the river, it was flowing downstream, so he turned around and led Blackjack to the trail that ran along the water. He then veered off course several times, glancing at old willows that he thought Annabeth might be under. Eventually, he ran into her. Almost literally.

"Are you kidding me?" She squealed, scrambling out of the way, a huge novel in her hands. She stood, dusting the dirt off the back of her jeans.

"S-sorry, I - I was just-" Percy stumbled, sliding off Blackjack and giving her a hand.

Annabeth waved him off. "It's fine. What are you doing here anyway?"

Percy stiffened. He hadn't actually come up with anything of substance to say. "Uh… you're brother said I could find you here."

Annabeth gave an amused smile. "You had Blackjack in a run."

That threw him. "Huh?"

Annabeth gestured to the horse. "We haven't gotten past a trot in lessons. You looked good, though. I mean," She blushed. "You weren't about to fall off, I mean."

Percy glanced at Blackjack, wondering if his new found skill was more due to the horse and not Percy's sudden expertise on riding. He didn't say that though - he hadn't come here to make small talk, even if he didn't know what he actually wanted to say. "Listen," He started. He watched the smile fall from her lips, and he rushed on, desperately wanting her to look at him like that again. "I shouldn't have left this morning. That was a… an asshole move."

She shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. I didn't really expect you to be there anyways." Her eyes were down, but Percy saw the disappointment in her face.

He stepped closer. She didn't look up. "I should've been there." He took her chin in his hands, gently pushing her head up until her eyes flicked to his. "I _will _be there."

Her chin trembled, and Percy's eyes dropped to her lips, his tongue darting out to like his own bottom lip.

"Percy." She breathed. The sound of his name off her lips made him shake, his knees trembling as he slipped a hand around her waist, tentatively gripping her against him. Gods she was… he would…

Fuck it.

He put his forehead against hers, sharing her breath, her eyes still open, locked on his. "Annabeth." He whispered. And then he kissed her.

**Hey y'all, sorry this took me so long to get up. It's been crazy packing up for college right now! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed :))) Hopefully I can get another chapter up this week before I leave for school. Love you all and always feel free to PM me about when the next chapter is coming!**

**-a**


	20. Chapter 20

**Warning: Mature things in the end of this lol. Also, it switches POV's for obvious reasons in the middle. As always, review and hope y'all enjoy!**

Chapter 20

Annabeth

Annabeth stumbled back, but Percy went with her and then they were backed up against her tree, his lips… gods. Her head spun and his hands came up from her waist, tangling themselves in her curls. He tasted like the ocean and a little like beer but Annabeth didn't dwell on it. She could barely form a coherent thought.

Annabeth gripped his neck, pulling him impossibly closer, tilting her head back with a groan as he unlocked his lips from hers and kissed her neck - under her ear, sucking at the little spot between her collarbone and shoulder - and then he was on her again, this time skating a hand on her jean clad thigh. Annabeth fought back a shudder. She…

She had to think. But - gods, she wanted more. So she locked their lips again, gripping his hair tightly in her first, his fingers - oh, fuck - his fingers brushed up against the button of her Levi's and -

Annabeth shoved him away. No. No, she couldn't do this right now, couldn't be with him so soon after… she needed to figure her own shit out, for both their sakes.

His expression was stunned, cheeks burning red, lips chapped and bruised, his hair a tousled mess. She doubted she looked much better.

"I - I shouldn't have-" He breathed out, unable to finish the sentence.

"No," She said, quiet. More bitter than she should have sounded considering how much she had just thoroughly enjoyed that. "You shouldn't have." She turned, slipping her book into the pouch on Blackjack's side, mounted the horse, and took off, leaving Percy in the dust.

-0-

"I'm not going out again tonight, Piper." Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "Do you remember yesterday?"

"Yes, I do." Piper said, bouncing up and down on Annabeth's bed in excitement. "Which is exactly why you need to get out there again and make sure your weekend is total shit."

Annabeth shrugged. "It's summer. Everyday is the weekend."

Piper groaned. "That's a dumb argument. Please please please please." Piper pleaded with her, her hands clasped in a begging position.

Annabeth considered it. She hadn't told Piper about this morning. It had felt too… unreal. Fragile, as if Annabeth opened her mouth and told someone it would've meant it had never happened in the first place. "Who will be there?"

Piper shrugged. "Don't know. Probably the usual. I think Percy's going with the boys."

Annabeth tensed, but if Piper noticed she didn't say anything. "Fine." She conceded. "I'll go."

"Yes!" Piper shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "I'll call Thalia and Hazel, tell them they can come over here and get ready with us."

Annabeth nodded, and Piper started pacing around the room, talking animatedly to their other friends. She tried to convince herself that she had said yes because Piper had really wanted her too, but she knew deep down that wasn't it. Scenarios for the night started playing around in her head, all of them ending with her too drunk to care about kissing Percy again - and having an excuse in the morning as to why she did it.

Thalia and Hazel arrived within the next thirty minutes, and Piper started shoving clothes into all of their hands, picking out outfits for them.

"Thalia, change." Piper said, exasperated. "We're already late because I had to convince Annabeth this was even a good idea."

"This is way too much color." Thalia complained, holding up the dark red shirt Piper had picked out.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine." She tossed Thalia a black tank top. "Better?"

Thalia accepted it without complaint, throwing the shirt on over her black bra.

Annabeth picked up her phone again, her heart dropping at the lack of notifications for the millionth time that day. She had felt kind of bad that she had left him stranded out there without a horse, but she walked out there all the time - it was barely thirty minutes.

If you knew where you were going.

Maybe she should… she should text. Just to make sure he had gotten home alright.

"Annabeth?" Hazel interrupted. Her pretty brown curls were tied back in a loose braid, and her chocolate skin contrasted nicely with the white tee Piper had thrown her way from Annabeth's closet. "You coming?"

Annabeth glanced up, realizing Piper and Thalia were already halfway down the stairs. Annabeth gave Hazel what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Yep." Percy could wait. If he wasn't at the party, she would text.

-0-

He was. At the party. Looking extremely, extremely attractive. He had completely ditched the city boy style, a pair of dusty Wranglers hugging his ass in a way that should have been illegal. He was wearing a college t-shirt and laughing with Jason and a couple other guys from her high school. He took a drink of his beer, his adam apple bobbing.

Annabeth let out a little whimper - whether it was out of fear or want, she didn't know.

Piper frowned. "What's wrong with you?" She asked, looking at Annabeth as she was debating whether she should get out of the car or just run away.

Annabeth grabbed Piper's hand. "You guys go ahead," She called out to Thalia and Hazel. "I'm trying to find my chapstick."

Piper's frown deepened. The lie didn't go unnoticed by her other friends, but they thankfully left them alone. Once they were out of earshot, Piper placed a hand on her hip. "Okay, spill." She insisted.

"Percy kissed me." Annabeth squeaked out, lowering her head. She half hoped Piper hadn't heard her, but her answering scream was enough for Annabeth to know she had. Annabeth sharply looked up, praying Percy's head wasn't turned towards them but he was still completely engaged in a totally different conversation, oblivious.

"No. Fucking. Way." Piper breathed out.

"Yeah way." Annabeth said, meeting her friend's excited eyes.

"Eek!" Piper squealed.

"Shhh," Annabeth scolded. "He's gonna hear you."

Piper knitted her eyebrows. "Why is this a problem?"

Annabeth winced, and Piper's eyes widened. "You didn't kiss him back?!" Her voice was getting dangerously loud again.

"No!" Annabeth insisted. "No, I did, I just… I just got scared and shoved him away and now I maybe regret it, and I maybe don't but…"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Don't lie to me. I've seen the way you two have been looking at each other since you got here. You totally loved it. But…" Her eyes softened. "If you aren't ready, I understand that too."

Annabeth gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Piper."

"Always." Piper said, returning the smile. "Now, let's go get fucked up and have a good time, yeah?"

Annabeth laughed, throwing her head back as she climbed out of the pickup. "Yes ma'am." She stated, swinging hand in hand with Piper as they walked towards the abandoned house. "By the way," Annabeth started, biting her lip to keep from smiling. "I fucking loved it."

Piper let out another laugh, and together they walked inside the house. It was sweaty as usual, and they made their way through the throngs of kids to the drink table where Thalia and Hazel were pouring tequila shots for all of them.

Annabeth took hers without hesitance, knowing the effect the tequila would have on her small body within minutes. It was a welcomed feeling. She downed it with no problem, slamming it on the table and declaring she needed another. It felt good, to loosen up with her friends, no boys around, just the four of them trying to get as drunk as possible within the shortest amount of time - typical high school activities.

Before she knew it, she was gripping the table, her eyes blurred as she laughed along with her friends, words tumbling out of her like vomit. Good. She needed to forget this weekend had ever happened.

-0-

Percy had noticed Annabeth as soon as she pulled up. He just had chosen to ignore her. Ignore the fact that he had been rejected - rejected - for the first time in his life today.

He sounded pathetic, even in his own head. When Jason set off to find Piper, Percy followed after him like a lost puppy, secretly hoping he would find Annabeth along with her best friend.

Unfortunately - or, fortunately - he was right. The girls were crowded around a row of shots, completely and totally wasted. Like, more than usually. By the discarded tequila bottle, they must have had way too much. As soon as Piper saw Jason, she squealed and pulled him away, no doubt to go have sex somewhere out in the middle of the field.

Annabeth stumbled back, her foot slipping on a patch of alcohol that must have been spilled. Percy reached for her out of instinct, grabbing her waist before she could do a face plant.

"Oh," She breathed, falling back on his chest. "Thanks."

Gods, she reeked of tequila. Percy wondered if it was partly his fault that she had felt the need to do this to herself, but he shoved the thought away before it could stay there long. He glanced at Thalia and Hazel, but they had disappeared, probably to find their own boys to make out with.

"Here." Percy said, pulling out a kitchen stool for her. "Sit here." He motioned, lowering her gently into the chair.

She batted him off, "I can do it on my own." She insisted, but Percy helped her anyway.

He grabbed a water bottle off the counter, opening it for her. "Drink." He ordered. She did, gulping down the entire thing. He lifted his shirt up, dried her chin, and helped her up again. "Come on, I'm taking you home."

She glared at him. "No." She protested. "No, please. Please." She pleaded with him, her eyes shiny. "You're - you always take me home because I'm a… I'm a fucking mess and I don't want you to have to leave again and I…" She trailed off, losing her train of thought.

Percy obliged, not interested in having a drunk and crying Annabeth. "Fine." He said, tugging her into a quiet corner of the outside deck where a couch sat with nobody on it. She collapsed onto the couch, glassy eyes staring out at the dark night. It was something Percy thought he might never get used to - the utter blackness of the country. If he left this pocket of life, he wouldn't be able to see his hand in that darkness.

"You must hate me." Annabeth said quietly, head propped up on her knees.

Percy sighed, sinking into the couch next to her. "No." He paused, throwing an arm around her without thinking about it too much. She nestled into his neck, the scent of her lemon hair hitting him as he took in another breath. He was still drunk - just not as drunk as Annabeth. "I think… I think I couldn't hate you even if I wanted too." He said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah. Me too." Annabeth said, her hand reaching out to trace circles on his thigh. "I'm just scared, I think. Like… my life is falling apart."

Percy tried not to laugh. It was hard to take her seriously when her words were slurred and she was opening up to him in a way that she would have never if she was sober. "Why do you think that?"

She shrugged. "Because I'm alone."

Percy sobered. "You're not." He immediately said, sliding a finger over her red cheek as he turned to look at her. He felt a sudden urge to make her feel better. He would say anything - everything - if she would stop looking at him like that. "You're not alone. Ever. As long as I'm here, you're not alone."

She just looked up at him sadly. "That's the thing. You're not always gonna be here, Percy." And then her thumb was on his lips, tracing them gently. Then her lips were on his, surprisingly violent for someone who was so out of it.

Percy pulled back, wary. "You're drunk." He stated.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm not doing anything I didn't want to do this morning."

That was enough for him. He leaned back down, capturing her lips in his once again, the taste of tequila still extremely evident. She let out a little whimper as he pulled on her bottom lip and slipped his tongue into her mouth, his lower region stirring in response.

"The - the truck." Annabeth gasped, standing up from the couch, this time much more sure on her feet. She pushed them through the crowd inside back towards the front door, tugging his hand along as Percy followed blindly. She pushed him up against the side of his Chevy as soon as they got there, biting his lip as she slammed their lips together again. It was harsh and… and desperate and Percy had never felt anything like it before. He wanted - he needed more and more and more and he was going to drown and -

"Wait." He paused, pulling back, but she pushed his head down to her neck. He sucked searing hickey into her neck, a very audible moan spilling from her lips. He pulled back again with effort, his brain spinning. "We should… the truck." He motioned, reaching into his pockets for his keys.

Annabeth placed a hand on his. "I couldn't give two fucks." She snarled, and then her lips were on his again as she tugged harshly on his zipper. His own fumbled with the button on her jeans, and he pushed them down roughly to her ankles, sliding her panties out of the way.

He inserted two fingers into her as she palmed him, leading him to her entrance. He paused, though, looking Annabeth in the eye, a silent question posed in his stare. She rolled her eyes and threw her hips forward. Percy took it as a yes, and let out a breathy groan as he slid into her.

"Fuck." She whimpered, her head hitting the car door as she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from being too loud. It was rough. And fast, considering their position, and when Annabeth found her release he clamped his hand over her mouth, muffling her scream. Percy followed soon after with an audible groan.

He slid against her, his arm buckling slightly. Annabeth's breathing slowed, and when she finally looked like she was not going to pass out, she shoved him off her.

Percy pulled up his jeans, which were now around his ankles. "That was…" He started, unable to believe he had just let himself do this with Annabeth in an extremely public place.

"It never happened." She said, buttoning up her pants and fixing her shirt. She gripped his chin hard, forcing him to make eye contact with her. "Got it?"

Percy tried not to be offended. "I - yeah. I guess."

Annabeth glared at him, her eyes no longer filled with anything other than regret. She seemed to be deciding whether he actually meant it or not, but after a few seconds she replied with, "Good." and walked back into the house to go find her friends.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Annabeth

"You were back early." Her mother commented with a raised eyebrow. It was Sunday morning, and her family was being forced to sit around their oversized oak dining room with the rustic chandelier and carefully arranged flower bouquets. The morning light flickered in through the french doors that led out onto the back porch, a horse nickering in the background of their silent meal. It would have been perfect, a cover for HGTV or something, if it wasn't for the constant tension that was held in their house at all times.

Annabeth shrugged. "Just wasn't really in the mood last night."

Matthew snickered, and Annabeth turned to set her glare on her younger brother instead.

"Well, it was refreshing to hear you back at a proper hour." Athena said, and Annabeth tried not to scoff. Her mother thought she was a grade a whore - something Annabeth had accustomed herself to in the past few years. If only Athena knew why she actually got home so early last night, she wouldn't be as happy.

Annabeth involuntarily tightened her legs at the memory. She - no - she couldn't go there at the fucking table with her parents. Instead, she turned her attention back to her mom, shrugging, "Doesn't mean I wasn't doing something you would disapprove of anyways," She said, mostly because it was fun to watch the pinched up look her mom always got whenever she was uncomfortable.

"Annabeth -" Her dad started, but she cut him off.

"I have chores." She said, grabbing a croissant off the table, the chair making a screeching sound on the hardwood floors as she left. Her parents made no move to stop her, and although Annabeth was the one who decided to leave, she kind of wished they would have said something. It would have at least shown they cared.

The barn door was already swung open, but she didn't think too much of it. They had a few farmhands who lived in the loft, so they had most likely left to go do something better with their day off than sit around with animals and sweat and beer.

Except, because she had the shittiest luck ever it was not that. Percy fucking Jackson was standing in the middle of her barn, shoveling horse shit into a wheelbarrow.

"What are you doing?" She snarled, loud enough for him to turn around, surprised as he took a headphone out of his ear.

"I - what are you doing?" He asked, wincing at how stupid that sounded.

"I live here, idiot." She rolled her eyes, but her voice didn't have the same edge to it as her first sentence to him this morning.

He looked shaken. He also looked disheveled but… good. She figured she could have those thoughts now since they had… done shit in the middle of a field last night, even if it wasn't ever going to happen again. His shirt had risen up slightly, and his jeans swung low on his hips. His boots officially didn't look like newbies anymore, the creases and dust evident from days at work on her ranch.

"I had to work a day on the weekend this week to make up for some days I've missed. If I want to earn my month's wages." He said, returning to shoveling hay.

Annabeth hesitated. She should… she should go back inside. Go get dressed for church. Go live her life without this kid who was gonna leave in a few short weeks.

Instead, she found herself picking up the extra shovel and starting on the stable next to Percy's. He looked up in surprise. "I - you don't have too."

Annabeth waved him off. "Better than going to church." She said with a smile that she hoped was friendly. His returning grin was nice to see, and he offered her an airpod. She accepted, looking up at him with raised eyebrows at the local country station it was tuned too.

He shrugged with a blush, "Hard not to listen to that music out here."

She just gave him another small smile, and went to work. They were silent, but it was comforting to know he was there with her. Her parents never came out to even drag her to church, and she tried not to be irritated by it. They were done within an hour, and Percy hung up the shovels again despite Annabeth's protests that she could do it herself.

"I should head home. I did the rest of my work before you came out here, so I'm done for the day," Percy said, dusting off his jeans. Hay littered the floor, and Annabeth found herself staring at it to keep her occupied. Before, they were working and distracted. Now… now she just felt awkward and stiff around him.

"Okay." Annabeth responded quietly, scuffing the floor of the barn with her boots.

"Okay." Percy breathed, turning to leave. Part of Annabeth was glad he didn't bring it up, but the other part of her had the insane urge to grab him and kiss him again.

"Percy!" She blurted out, as his muscled back walked away from her. She watched him pause, as if he was deciding whether she was worth the time. Her heart panged, but he eventually faced her.

"What's up?" He asked, running a hand through his hair, hay flying out of it.

"Um," She gulped, unsure why she had even said his name, "The… fourth of july party. We're leaving tomorrow."

Percy let out a breath. "I know."

"Are you going?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Don't know. I was thinking about just using the time to hang out with my dad, but-"

"Come." She said, with a sense of urgency, though she had no idea why she suddenly cared so much. "I… you should come with. It's fun. We go to Chesapeake Bay, and I know you like the ocean and…"

He glanced down at his boots, toeing the dirt. "Maybe. I…"

"Please," She sounded desparate, but she didn't care. The thought of sharing this with Percy was enough for her to make her want to beg. "I want you to come."

He winced, and she was sure he was going to say something nasty to her, because even she knew she was being ridiculously indecisive with him, but luckily her parents pulled up from church with a load full of middle school boys in the back of their pickup. He glanced at the truck, then back at her. "I'll go." He said, finally, and left without another word. Annabeth tried to ignore the relief she felt at those two words.

-0-

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" Annabeth asked Thalia later that night as they were throwing swimsuits and denim shorts into already filled suitcases. She hadn't been able to do anything else with her Sunday, instead choosing to stare out the window absentmindedly and unfocused on everything else going on around her.

"I think that's a very subjective question." Thalia answered, folding up a black one piece with a criss-crossed back.

Annabeth scoffed, "When did you get so smart?" She asked.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Why are you asking, anyways?"

Annabeth shrugged, eyes drifting back to the hundreds of things she had to fit in here before they left even though it was already pretty much full. "I invited Percy." She blurted out.

Thalia frowned. "Jason already did, I thought. Said he wasn't coming."

Annabeth gave up on her suitcase, instead taking up a spot on Thalia's bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. "He wasn't. I asked him this morning, though, to come."

Thalia looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Is he coming now?"

Annabeth blushed. "Yeah. I think so. I mean, he said he was going to but I kinda don't know if he meant it or not."

Thalia went back to folding. "He's definitely coming now." She scoffed.

Annabeth threw a pillow at her, and then joined her on the floor again, sitting on her suitcase until it closed.

-0-

Piper let out an exhausted moan as she threw herself into the back seat at 10 AM in the morning. "We did not have to leave this early." She said, flopping back on to the leather as Jason climbed in next to her.

Jason rolled his eyes. "It's not early. Besides, it takes 6 hours. At this rate, we're gonna miss dinner."

Percy grinned, glancing in the rearview mirror as he and Annabeth got in the front. "Because missing your food would be the worst disaster of this whole week."

Jason flipped him off, but Annabeth laughed, kicking off her shoes as soon as they got out of the driveway. They were taking Jason's truck, but Piper had demanded she sit in the back so she could nap on Jason's shoulder, so Percy was stuck driving for the moment.

He glanced down at her bare toes, painted white for the trip. "Why do you have such an aversion to shoes?" He asked, swerving around a curve a little too fast and throwing Annabeth into the window. He didn't seem to notice.

She rolled her eyes, "They're not comfy. I don't really enjoy wearing clothes, either." She said, and then immediately wanted to stuff the words right back into her dumb mouth. Piper let out a snicker from the back, and Percy's cheeks had turned a bright red, his hands now gripping the steering wheel even tighter.

Annabeth tucked her feet under her butt so she didn't have to look at them anymore, and brought out her book to read. It was quiet for the first hour or so, her phone plugged into the aux, playing a mix of all of her favorite songs. Piper had started snoring slightly, and as they passed town after town, Percy finally relaxed after her previous comment.

Percy tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to look up from her book. "Wha-" She started, but he put a finger to his lips in a shh motion. He glanced again in the rearview mirror, jerking a thumb at their friends. Annabeth turned, finding the two sprawled out asleep, Jason's head on top of Piper's leg, a dribble of drool spilling down his chin.

Annabeth snickered, pulling out her phone and snapping a picture of the two of them.

She showed it to Percy, who laughed and shook his head. "They're cute."

"Mhmm." Annabeth agreed, closing her book and shifting around in the seat. They were only an hour in, and she was already uncomfortable. "Going on two years now, I think."

Percy hummed. "They're lucky."

"Yeah, they are." She agreed, meeting his eyes before he looked away sharply, back at the curving highway.

They were quiet for another song, before Percy spoke again. "Are you ever… I mean, could you ever? Tell me what happened with Luke?"

Annabeth sighed, closing her eyes and kicking her feet up on the dash. "No." She said, simply. Detached.

"Why?" He asked, not missing a beat, as if he had expected that answer. Which, he probably had.

She shrugged, opening her eyes again and finding his knuckles going white on the wheel. "It's none of your business."

"It's-" He started, turning on her, his whole body tensing, before he realized he needed to go back to looking at the road. "It's none of my - how can you even say that, Annabeth?"

She crossed her arms, knowing she had said the wrong thing but not being willing to back down from the statement. "You're not my boyfriend, Percy. It doesn't fucking concern you." She snarled back.

"You're kidding me, right?" He snapped, taking a turn way too sharp. Annabeth glanced back at Piper and Jason, who were still knocked out in the backseat despite Percy's raised voice.

"I don't owe you -" She started, but he cut her off.

"No. You don't." He exited the freeway, swerving onto another back road towards a truck stop. "But for once in your fucking life you could not think about yourself and think about somebody else for a goddamn change." His voice raised with every syllable until he was practically shouting. Annabeth shrunk back with each word, her body now pressed up against the door in a defensive position. She tried to think of something worthy to say back, to hurt him as much as he had just hurt her, but all she could do was bite her bottom lip to keep from crying. Pathetic.

"Woah." Jason said, gripping the back of Percy's seat as he sat up from his nap. Piper glanced at Annabeth cautiously, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What's going on?" Jason asked.

"I just need a break." Percy snapped harshly at his friend, flinging into a parking stop, the car lurching as he pulled the e-brake. It took all of three seconds for him to slam the driver's side door and stalk into the convenience store, Jason right on his heels.

Annabeth wordlessly climbed over the console into the back seat where Piper made a move to grab her hand. "Don't." Annabeth snapped, putting as much distance between herself and her friend as she could, but she sighed when she saw the look on her friend's face. "Sorry. I just… I'm fine."

Piper looked unconvinced, but Annabeth resigned to sitting in silence. It was better than explaining what the fuck had just happened up there. Percy and Jason returned a few minutes later, Cokes and Slim Jims and chips in hand. Percy had a slightly less angry - but still pissed - look on his face, and he slid into the passenger seat. He threw them a bag of chips, which almost hit Annabeth in the face though she was too shocked to do anything about it.

Instead, she curled herself into the seat, put her sunglasses over her eyes and tried to sleep. Anything to pretend like she wasn't totally regretting bringing Percy on this trip.

**Hi! Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. Promise there will be lots of fluff and good stuff on their little trip together. Also, hope you guys are excited to see Percy get a little angry with her, as he should. Love you all, review as always.**

**-a**


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